Reportedly, a young woman and her male friend were assaulted by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) within the young man’s home, on September 23.
The woman is a Hindu, the man is a Muslim, and the two are medical students. The police arrived, and rounded up the students at the VHP’s insistence, and then, the police beat up the woman and repeatedly taunted her for being friends with a Muslim man.
While three UP Police constables involved in the video have been suspended, the VHP members who attacked the young man and woman have not been taken action against just yet.
According to the young woman’s reported testimony, this is what happened:
“We were sitting and studying when members of Bajrang Dal came, locked me up in a room and beat him (the man) up. They asked me for an ID and taunted us saying 'how will you get married? He's Muslim, you're Hindu'.”
We were sitting&studying when members of Bajrang Dal came,locked me up in a room&beat him (the man) up. They asked me for an ID&taunted us saying 'how will you get married? He's Muslim,you're Hindu': Woman abused&slapped by cops for being friends with a Muslim man #Meerut (26.09) pic.twitter.com/RPflnNZ5cp
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 27, 2018
We were sitting&studying when members of Bajrang Dal came,locked me up in a room&beat him (the man) up. They asked me for an ID&taunted us saying 'how will you get married? He's Muslim,you're Hindu': Woman abused&slapped by cops for being friends with a Muslim man #Meerut (26.09) pic.twitter.com/RPflnNZ5cp
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 27, 2018
But it didn’t just end at that. Apparently, the VHP members also reached the police station and attacked the young people there as well. And the police asked the woman to file a complaint of rape against the Muslim man, even though she clarified that they were not romantically involved.
With reference to a video by staff of PRV 561 in PS Medical Meerut, HC Salek Chand, Const Neetu Singh, lady Const Priyanka have been suspended. A report regarding the HG Sainserpal has been sent to District Commandant Home Guard. Such behaviour shall never be tolerated. https://t.co/fZ7NxCwLy1
— UP POLICE (@Uppolice) September 25, 2018
The 29-second viral video, which shows constable Priyanka Singh beating and berating the woman inside a police jeep with three other colleagues after rescuing her from a mob, is playing out along several divides in UP’s Meerut.
The clip is from September 23, when the Hindu woman was with her friend, a 22-year-old Muslim man, at his apartment when it was “raided” by a mob. Priyanka’s team arrived and took the woman away in their jeep when the video was taken.
Shame on Meerut police and on the thekedar of the indian society like bajrang dal,vishva hindu parishad.....they are the...
Posted by Arpit Vashishtha on Wednesday, 26 September 2018
“I simply followed my senior’s orders and now I am paying for it. It was the first time I had gone on a UP 100 call and sat in that jeep. I had no earlier experience… It’s just my bad luck,” claims Priyanka, adding that she belongs to the “oppressed SC community” and “cannot oppress another person”.
Commissioned as a constable two years ago, she has been suspended along with the three others, constable Salek Chand, constable Neetu Singh and home guard Sainserpal, following the incident — the clip also has a male voice making a derogatory reference to Muslims and asking the woman, “Sharam nahin aati (Aren’t you ashamed)?
Priyanka’s colleagues, however, are trying to distance themselves from the episode.
“I was sitting in the front and didn’t know what was happening at the back,” claims Neetu. Chand claims he “tried to stop constable Priyanka” but that exchange wasn’t recorded. Sainserpal, the driver who allegedly shot the video, is “unwell” and not in a position to speak, according to his brother.
Speaking over the phone from her relative’s home in Delhi, the woman counters Priyanka’s claims. “She can say whatever she wants to, the truth is out for everyone to see. I just want to get back to my studies,” says the student, the second of three siblings.
Shocking video of the girl who was rescued by cops from Vishwa Hindu Parishad goons who were harassing a Meerut couple for Love Jihad. The cops after rescuing the girl began assaulting her in the police van calling her out for chosing Muslim partner and made video. @uppolice pic.twitter.com/l0eIPmJKnp
— Piyush Rai (@PiyushRaiTOI) September 25, 2018
The couple were eventually released as both of them were adult and there was no complaint from any of their family members.
Three police personnel including head constable Salek Chand, constable Neetu Singh, lady constable Priyanka have been suspended and a report regarding home guard Sainserpal has been sent to District Commandant Home Guard, UP Police wrote on Twitter.
