Aamir Zaidi was marched through main crossings, forced to apologise while being beaten, despite only being an accused of pressuring a girl for marriage
KANPUR – A disturbing incident from the Ghatampur area of the Uttar Pradesh city of Kanpur has ignited a fierce debate on police brutality, communal bias, and the violation of legal procedure. A Muslim youth, accused in a case of alleged coercion for marriage and religious conversion, was publicly paraded by the police on Wednesday, forced to apologise to onlookers while being assaulted, all before being presented before a court.
The accused, identified as Aamir Zaidi, was arrested by Ghatampur police in a case where a young woman accused him of trapping her in a relationship, pressuring her for marriage and religious conversion, and later sabotaging her engagement to another man. However, it was the police’s method of “presenting” the accused that drew severe criticism.
Eyewitness accounts and videos that emerged show Zaidi being marched on foot through prominent town crossings. He was seen folding his hands, repeatedly apologising as police officials allegedly beat him and compelled him to say, “Sir, I made a mistake, I will not look at another girl.”
“This public spectacle is not policing; it is vigilantism in uniform. It violates every principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and human dignity,” said Advocate Vishal Sharma, a Kanpur-based lawyer. “The police’s job is to investigate and present the accused before the magistrate, not to conduct public humiliation and extract forced confessions.”
The police have defended the arrest, stating that Zaidi has a prior criminal record with cases under the Goonda Act, intimidation, and assault. “We have acted against a repeat offender based on a serious complaint. The allegations involve pressuring a girl for conversion and breaking her marriage,” said a senior police officer from Ghatampur police station, who did not wish to be named.
However, legal experts and human rights activists are questioning the police’s extra-judicial actions. “The public parade, the physical abuse, and the forced public apology are clear violations of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and personal liberty with dignity. It also prejudices any chance of a fair trial,” added Advocate Sharma.
The incident is seen by many observers within the context of a recurring pattern in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslim men are often disproportionately targeted in cases loosely termed as “love jihad” by right-wing groups and the police machinery. Critics argue that similar allegations when a Hindu man is involved are rarely met with the same level of public theatrics or media framing.
“There is an established two-track system. In one, Muslim boys are paraded as criminals based on allegations. In the other, interfaith marriages where the woman is Muslim are celebrated as ‘liberal’ or ‘love marriages’. The police’s role becomes communal and prejudiced,” said Kavita Krishnan, a social activist.
The family of the accused could not be immediately reached for comment. The police have registered a formal case and the court has sent Zaidi to judicial custody. However, the damage to the legal process and the message sent by the public humiliation may have longer-lasting repercussions.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) guidelines strictly prohibit the public parading of accused persons. Legal analysts now wait to see if any higher authority or the judiciary will take suo motu cognisance of this blatant disregard for procedure and human dignity.
For now, the image of a young man, presumed innocent by law, being beaten and paraded as a public example, remains a stark reminder of the challenges to justice and equality in the world’s largest democracy.
