The earliest mentions of police brutality in India can be traced to British India when the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place in 1919. With systematic oppression over centuries and blatant disregard for human rights, police brutality has been indoctrinated in the Indian mindset. Getting picked up by police and being subject to custodial violence is a thing of every day occurrence.
Encounter Specialists are another menace to the already warped system. They are glorified by the media when principles of natural justice like right to a fair trial are being curtailed. The media goads police into making reckless decisions like extrajudicial encounters so they can be hailed heroes. The Hashimpura Massacre took place in 1987 after Hindu-Muslim riots in Meerut. The police rounded up 42 Muslim youths from the Hashimpura locality, took them in a truck to the outskirts of the city, where they were shot and their bodies dumped in water canals. A few days later dead bodies were found floating in the canals.
Police encounters are usually met with glee from the society due to the glorification by media channels. Little do these cheerful audience know that they are paving the way for a police state where they cannot hold the police accountable for their actions.
To ensure justice truly prevails, attempts of silencing the masses should not be made by way of encounter. Appeasement is not accountability!! Fast track courts are the answer and not extra judicial killings. In fact, after the much televised extra judicial encounter of the alleged rapists of a veterinarian in Telangana, there were similar crimes across the country within no time. Police encounters are not a deterrent to crime and more importantly a gross violation of the principles of natural justice.
The recent case of police brutality against an African American man in Minneapolis, USA garnered much needed audience worldwide. Racism has been indoctrinated in the American system which has resulted in the barbaric killings of members from the African community by the police without cause. This sparked widespread protests across the globe with some prominent Indian figures condemning the same. However, despite the widespread circulation of a video four men that were beaten up and forced to lie on the ground and sing by police men, one of whom(Faizan) later died was met with little to no outcry in India. None of the police men were held accountable.
The latest victims of police brutality were a father and son from Tuticorin, India. Whatever the crime may be, in this case, it was that of keeping their shop open past curfew, NO ONE deserves to be beaten with lathis till they bleed or have steel tipped lathis shoved into their buttholes. They succumbed to their injuries and it was written off as death due to heart failure and fever. Their alleged crime inconsequential any manner you look at it. Would we allow this to happen to our dear ones or should we allow this to be the new norm?
As indicated by recent protests across the globe be it in America, India, Hong Kong or Sudan, the young population have a lot to offer in terms of suggestions for much needed reforms. If you are still on the fence about the need for systemic change, please educate yourselves and learn how to empathize.
#JusticeforJayarajandFenix
Pursuit of Tolerance 
Very well written article, trial by media and glorification of policemen for violating laws are expeditiously increasing in the society and the same needs to be brought to the notice of people in order to differentiate between right and wrong.
LikeLiked by 1 person