A Muslim minor from Botad in Gujarat is battling for his life after allegedly being brutally beaten in police custody, according to the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC).
The boy, identified as Aryan Makhiyala from the Harankui area of Botad, worked as a daily wage labourer to support his family. He was picked up by Botad Town Police on August 19 on charges of theft. His family alleged that Aryan and even his grandfather were beaten inside the police station.
MCC convenor Mujahid Nafees wrote to the Director General of Police, Gandhinagar, saying Aryan was tortured for nine consecutive days by police personnel. “Aryan has sustained severe injuries to his legs, waist and kidneys. He is on dialysis and is hanging between life and death,” the letter stated. Aryan is currently unconscious and undergoing treatment at Zydus Hospital in Ahmedabad.
The family’s video testimony, in which his grandfather, grandmother and sister claimed that police officers assaulted Aryan, has gone viral.
Nafees pointed out that this is not the first such case in Botad. “In 2023, a Muslim youth named Kalu Padharshi was also beaten to death in police custody. Three policemen were jailed in that case,” he said.
The letter accused the police of ignoring the Supreme Court’s DK Basu Guidelines on custodial rights. “The police personnel acted with a malicious mindset and conspired to divide society. Yet, no action has been taken against them so far,” Nafees alleged.
The MCC demanded immediate suspension of the accused policemen, registration of an FIR, preservation of CCTV footage from the station and transfer of the accused out of the district to prevent tampering with evidence. It also urged that Aryan’s condition be assessed by a panel of specialist doctors from Civil Hospital.
“Justice treats everyone equally. The guilty personnel must face action so that public faith is restored,” Nafees said in his appeal to the state police chief.
