Digvijay Bhati, President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BR Ambedkar), said, “When Mohit and I arrived to meet the Captain, he took us into a cabin. Once inside, three or four people struck us with their elbows and beat us mercilessly.”
मेरठ: खाकी का कहर, पुलिस हिरासत में किसान नेताओं का थर्ड डिग्री टॉर्चर, आंख फोड़ी, पुलिस पर गंभीर आरोप
Digvijay Bhati, President of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BR Ambedkar faction), has accused Meerut’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey of subjecting him to third-degree torture. He alleges that he was detained in the office and brutally beaten, resulting in injuries.
Speaking to IANS, Digvijay Bhati said, “I was not involved in the protest regarding the Lalita Gautam murder case; I was in Noida-Ghaziabad at the time. Despite this, we were sent to jail. Later, Mohit was speaking to the SSP, telling him, ‘Sir, we are completely innocent in this matter.’ In response, the SSP summoned us to meet him.”
Digvijay Bhati continued, “When Mohit and I arrived to meet the SSP, we were taken into a cabin. Once inside, three or four people struck us with their elbows and beat us mercilessly. Then, as I was falling at the SSP’s feet, he kicked me. The kick landed directly on my eye. Doctors now say that my eye will only recover up to 30 percent. They beat us severely.”
Digvijay added, “After the beating, Civil Lines Inspector Akhilesh Gaur was called in and instructed to arrange for our medical treatment. Subsequently, Akhilesh took us to the SOG office, where he tied our legs, hung us upside down, and beat us brutally. During this ordeal, water was given to us using a lid. Not only that, but Akhilesh also made the SSP listen to our screams over the phone. Both the SSP and the inspector hurled severe abuses at us. The administration branded me a ‘goonda’ (thug) without any fault of mine.”
These allegations surfaced after a video of Bhati, the president of the BR Ambedkar faction of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, went viral on social media. In the video, Bhati is seen displaying his swollen left eye and visible injury marks on various parts of his body. Bhati claimed that he met Pandey on Wednesday and demanded the removal of his name from the FIR, asserting that he was not present at the location where the alleged incident took place.
The alleged incident is linked to police action against Dalit protesters on July 8. These protesters were demonstrating against the handling of the investigation into the murder of college student Lalita Gautam. Lalita’s body had been found in a field in the Rohta area of Meerut on May 15. Public anger over the murder intensified on July 8 when protesters blocked the gate of the Meerut Collectorate for nearly three hours. They were demanding a meeting with the district administration and the immediate arrest of the prime suspect, Ankit, whom they held responsible for the killing. The protest turned violent after the police, led by SSP Pandey, resorted to a lathi-charge. Subsequently, the police registered cases against 63 protesters under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Meanwhile, the Meerut Police have dismissed all allegations made by Bhati. In an official statement posted on X, the police stated that multiple cases had already been registered against Digvijay Singh Bhati and Mohit Jatav, and that both are listed as ‘history-sheeters’ at their respective police stations.
According to the police, on August 19, 2026, both individuals visited the Civil Lines police station to discuss issues related to the cases registered against them. While returning home, their scooter allegedly skidded, causing them to fall and sustain injuries. The police stated that Digvijay Bhati and Mohit Jatav themselves submitted a written application regarding this incident at the Civil Lines police station, which was recorded as General Diary Entry Number 53 at 5:31 PM.
Amidst these developments, Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey has been transferred following the surfacing of this matter. Pandey has been removed from the post of Meerut SSP and attached to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters. Meanwhile, BBGTS Murthy, who was serving as the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Jhansi, has been appointed as the new SSP of Meerut.
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