By MNS Quadri
AHMEDABAD: A fresh controversy has engulfed Surat Police after Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajdeepsinh Nakum was allegedly seen publicly parading and brutally assaulting accused persons in an attempted murder case, triggering widespread outrage and calls for judicial intervention.
The incident, which occurred on July 14 in the Salabatpura area, has come under intense scrutiny after videos surfaced on social media showing Nakum and other police personnel allegedly dragging the accused by their hair, slapping and brutally beating the four young accused men with sticks in full public view. Eyewitness accounts and video evidence suggest that Nakum himself grabbed the accused by their hair and struck them with a ‘lathi’ (stick) more than 25 times during what appeared to be a public procession. Throughout the procession, the police personnel at regular intervals held the accused, and the DCP thrashed them with sticks
According to reports, the four accused—identified as Ayaz Malek, Imran Khan, Rajik Shaikh and Shahrukh Shah, all under 25—had been arrested in connection with a rioting and attempted murder case registered at Salabatpura police station following a knife attack on a youth in their neighbourhood.
“The accused and the victim are neighbours in the Main Darwaza Rail Relief Colony under the Salabatpura police jurisdiction. They had friendly relations; however, a few days ago, there was a fight between Raju Paradhe, 22, and Ayaz Malek over some reason. Angered by this, Malek and his friend attacked Paradhe with a knife and injured him. Paradhe’s grandmother, Lataben Gavane, lodged a complaint of rioting and attempted murder against Malek and his friends,” Salabatpura Police Inspector R A Jadeja told The Indian Express. Paradhe is stable, he added.
Instead of being taken directly through the legal process, the accused were allegedly paraded through their locality. Videos show them handcuffed, surrounded by police personnel, and subjected to repeated physical assault. Witnesses claim the accused were beaten to the extent that they struggled to walk, even as they pleaded for mercy.
Regarding the background of this entire matter, the investigation into the Salabatpura attempted murder case is currently being conducted by the ACP of the ST/SC Cell.
Police sources indicate that Nakum had taken additional charge of the zone during the absence of the regular DCP, Kanan Desai, who is on leave and had summoned the Special Operations Group (SOG) team. The team was also seen participating in the alleged assault. According to video footage and eyewitnesses, the SOG team also followed the officer’s lead and was seen mercilessly beating the accused in public.
Responding to the allegations, DCP Nakum defended the police action, stating that the accused had “created terror” in the locality and that the public parade was intended to send a message that law enforcement remains vigilant. Talking to The Indian Express, DCP Nakum said, “There are criminal cases against the accused…and they had created terror in their areas. So we have paraded them in their own residential area so that people should know that the police are vigilant and such activities will not be tolerated.” DCP Nakum also holds charge of Surat’s Zone 2, in which Salabatpura falls.
“There are criminal cases against the accused… they had created terror in their areas. So we paraded them in their own residential area so that people should know that such activities will not be tolerated,” Nakum said.
The incident has sparked a legal and constitutional debate, with multiple representations submitted to the Gujarat High Court and the state Director General of Police (DGP), seeking strict action against the officers involved.
Advocate Utkarsh Dave has urged the High Court to take suo motu cognisance, calling the visuals “disturbing and shocking” and terming the incident a “grave violation of the rule of law.” In his representation to Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal, Dave argued that the actions violated Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and protection of life and personal liberty.
Earlier this year, Advocate Dave also moved the Supreme Court through a petition, seeking nationwide directions to curb custodial torture and police brutality against accused persons while they remain in police custody.
Separately, a formal complaint by Mujahid Nafees, convenor of the Minority Coordination Committee, has demanded departmental, criminal and disciplinary proceedings against Nakum and other officers. The complaint alleges that the accused were publicly humiliated and assaulted despite not resisting arrest, raising concerns of custodial violence and targeting of minority youth.
“This instant justice by the Surat Police is unconstitutional and cruel. Public parading and custodial torture created mob frenzy and lawlessness, encouraged by police officials themselves,” he writes. “Criminal procedure provides a complete system from FIR to trial and punishment — police cannot assume the role of judge, jury, and executioner.”
Demanding immediate departmental, disciplinary, penal, and criminal action against the responsible police officers for public parading, custodial torture, and violation of D.K. Basu guidelines, Mujahid Nafees has warned that “Otherwise, we will be compelled to pursue appropriate legal remedies.”
Legal experts point out that the incident appears to contravene established legal safeguards, including the Supreme Court’s landmark D.K. Basu vs State of West Bengal guidelines, which explicitly prohibit custodial torture and mandate humane treatment of arrested individuals.
Additionally, a circular issued on May 12, 2026, by the then in-charge Gujarat DGP Dr K.L.N. Rao had strictly barred police personnel from publicly parading or assaulting accused persons, regardless of the severity of the crime. The directive specifically prohibited acts such as forcing the accused to walk publicly, beating them with sticks, or humiliating them in any manner.
Critics argue that Nakum’s actions directly flout these binding instructions, raising serious questions about accountability within the police force.
The controversy has drawn parallels with the 2022 Kheda flogging case during the Navratri festival in Undhela village in Kheda district in central Gujarat, in which the Gujarat High Court convicted police personnel for publicly beating accused persons tied to a pole. The police tied the accused of stone-pelting to a pole and publicly beat them with sticks. In this sensational ‘Kheda Flogging Case’, the Gujarat High Court took a strict stance and convicted four police personnel for Contempt of Court, sentencing them to 14 days in jail.
The court had then categorically ruled that police cannot assume the role of judge and executioner. Legal observers say the Surat incident suggests that lessons from past judicial reprimands have not been fully internalised, even at senior levels of policing.
The Gujarat High Court has long directed senior officers to monitor their ranks and prevent abuse of authority. Yet in this case, it is an IPS-level officer himself who is leading the charge — openly flouting the law in a way that could spark a major legal storm ahead.
This is not the first time Nakum has courted controversy. He was earlier in the spotlight for his presence during the disputed Nasirnagar demolition in Surat and is among the respondents in an ongoing High Court case related to that incident. Nakum, who was a state cadre police officer, was recently promoted to IPS cadre.
The episode has reignited debate over “instant justice” policing and the thin line between enforcement and excess. While public anger against crime often fuels support for strict police action, legal experts warn that extra-judicial punishment undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in institutions.
“The power to investigate cannot become a licence to punish,” advocate Dave noted in his submission, stressing that due process must be followed irrespective of the allegations against the accused.
With video evidence circulating widely and legal petitions gaining traction, the matter is likely to see judicial scrutiny in the coming days. Petitioners have sought preservation of CCTV footage, independent inquiry, and strict action against those responsible.
As pressure mounts on the Gujarat Police leadership, the case is poised to become a significant test of accountability, constitutional safeguards, and the limits of policing in a democratic society.
