Viral Video Shows Bhavnagar Police Beating Murder Accused In Public During Crime Recreation

Rajkot: A video that allegedly shows cops from Gujarat's Bhavnagar police assaulting a murder accused in public during a crime recreation exercise has gone viral on social media. The accused has been identified as Faizal alias Khatki Lakhani (25), who was taken into custody by the Nilambaug police on Friday for allegedly murdering his live-in partner, identified as Kajal Bariya. 

According to the police, Faizal had attacked Kajal during a heated quarrel, kicking her repeatedly and inflicting severe injuries to her face, neck and kidneys, following which she succumbed while undergoing treatment at a hospital.

The police said that the couple had been living together on the footpath and inside the GSRTC depot at the ST bus stand, and that Faizal has a history of violent offences. He had only recently been released on bail, reportedly with the help of Kajal herself. The police stated that suspicion that Kajal was having an affair led to the argument that turned deadly.

Brutal Assault At Bus Stand Caught On Camera

The murder, which took place at Bhavnagar’s ST bus stand on September 3, was narrated in harrowing detail by the police. The 40-year-old Kajalben had been in an 8-year live-in relationship with Faizal alias Khatki Rafikbhai Lakhani, who lived on the footpath near the bus stand.

On the afternoon of September 3, Kajalben was speaking to her acquaintance Ravi alias Bado Gohel near the bus stand when Faizal, who had recently come out of jail, arrived and confronted them about the relationship. In a fit of rage, he kicked both Ravi and Kajal, throwing them onto the tiles. He then grabbed Kajalben by her hair and repeatedly slammed her head, neck and face against the tiled floor. After she fell unconscious, Faizal himself took her to the hospital, where doctors declared her dead. The killing was captured on CCTV installed at the bus stand.

Following the death, Bhaguben Baraiya, mother of the deceased, lodged a complaint alleging that Faizal had murdered her daughter, leading to his arrest.

After his arrest, Faizal was taken back to the spot on Friday for reconstruction of the crime. It was during the panchnama that police personnel allegedly beat him in full public view, as seen in the viral clip. In updated information that has emerged, the Nilambaug police station personnel allegedly tied the accused with a rope and struck him as many as 105 times with a stick while parading him at the ST bus stand. The accused was scheduled to be produced in court later in the day.

The police have defended the action and called Faizal a notorious person, saying that the accused had continued his criminal activities even after being released on bail. He claimed the beating was intended to send out a strong message.

The incident has put the spotlight on both the brutal murder of a vulnerable woman living on the margins and the legality of instant justice meted out on the streets.