Gujarat flogging: State police chief Ashish Bhatia ordered an inquiry into the incident
The men seen flogging Muslim men accused of disrupting a Navratri Garba event in Gujarat's Kheda in a viral video are local cops, sources have told NDTV.
The video clips showed the accused men tied to poles and beaten with sticks at Undhela village in Kheda district. Those beating them were said to be policemen in plain clothes. A crowd of locals were seen cheering as they thrashed the men.
The men were also seen apologising to the public with folded hands.
Amid huge outrage over the videos, state police chief Ashish Bhatia ordered an inquiry yesterday.
"I have ordered an inquiry and the matter is being investigated. We will take disciplinary action depending upon the gravity of the charges," Mr Bhatia had said.
A panel investigating the incident will submit its report to the police over the next couple of days, sources say, adding that action against the accused cops will be taken once the veracity of the videos is confirmed.
Several people, including women and a police officer, were injured after some Muslims allegedly tried to disrupt the Garba event on Monday night and threw stones at the participants, officials said.
"When garba started, people from the Muslim community gathered and tried to stop the event. When people did not stop, they resorted to stone pelting," said VR Bajpai, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kheda.
A case has been registered and thirteen people have been arrested so far, Mr Bajpai added.