When Justice Fails the Uniform: Alarming Trend of Police Brutality and Judicial Apathy Against Armed Forces Personnel

Jamakhandi, Karnataka – March 24, 2025: In a disturbing series of events that raise serious questions on police high-handedness and judicial indifference, a decorated soldier of India’s elite 9 PARA (Special Forces), Paratrooper (Ptr) Abhimanyu Jangam, remains incarcerated in Jamakhandi Sub Jail, Bagalkote - despite multiple legal and military interventions for his custody and bail.  

On 5th of March 2025, Ptr Abhimanyu, travelling with his cousins, encountered a vehicle breakdown on a public road. While they were fixing the issue, a police Circle Inspector; intoxicated, in civilian clothes and a private vehicle; reportedly arrived at the scene and began hurling abuses at the group without provocation. The situation escalated into a physical altercation after the officer allegedly manhandled the soldier. Reinforcements were called in by the Inspector, following which Ptr Abhimanyu was taken to the police station and brutally beaten. He was later presented in court and remanded to judicial custody.

Ptr Abhimanyu, a serving soldier with an impeccable record, was booked under various charges and lodged in jail on 6 March 2025, along with his cousin. Judicial custody was extended until 20 th of March 2025, and despite a bail application filed on 11th of March, proceedings have been inexplicably delayed with the Public Prosecutor raising objections. The case is now deferred for a hearing on 25 March; prolonging an injustice that has already gone too far.   

Moreover, the Army, under the provisions of Section 104 of the Army Act, 1950, formally sought military custody of Ptr Abhimanyu on 19th of March 2025. A military escort was detailed for his transfer. However, civil authorities have continued to sideline this lawful request, misguiding both the soldier’s next of kin and Army representatives with misleading statements and procedural ambiguity.

This is not an isolated case. There is a disturbing pattern of such incidents where soldiers and officers - symbols of national pride - have been at the receiving end of police brutality and civil indifference:  

• Patiala, Punjab : A senior Army officer, a Colonel, and his son were ruthlessly beaten by 12 intoxicated policemen. The incident sparked national outrage, but tangible disciplinary action against the errant police personnel remains absent.    
• Indore, Madhya Pradesh : Four young Army officers were attacked by local goons. The perpetrators are yet to be punished.    
• Odisha : A Major and his fiancée were subjected to humiliation and assault by policemen in what was a gross abuse of authority. No significant accountability has been ensured till date. 
• NCC Officer on Duty: In a shocking case of misinformation - fuelled mob justice, an NCC officer in uniform was mercilessly assaulted in the presence of the police. No deterrent action was taken despite the officer being on official duty.

Such incidents betray a troubling erosion of respect towards India’s Armed Forces - an institution that stands tall as the ultimate guardian of national integrity. While our soldiers brave bullets and hostile terrains to protect civilians, their own dignity and rights appear to be increasingly disregarded within civil society.

The injustice meted out to Ptr Abhimanyu is a grim reflection of a deeper systemic failure. It is imperative for the judiciary to uphold the law without bias and for the police to remember that power without accountability becomes tyranny.

If we, as a nation, cannot safeguard the dignity of those who protect us, then we must question the very foundations of our justice system. This is not just about a soldier behind bars. This is about the soul of India’s democracy and its moral duty to its sentinels in uniform.