Meerut, August 21, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) B.R. Ambedkar faction president Digvijay Bhatti has accused outgoing Meerut Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey of subjecting him to “third-degree” torture inside a police office, alleging that he was detained and brutally assaulted. Meerut Police has rejected the allegations.
Bhatti told IANS that he and others were falsely implicated in a case linked to a July 8 protest over the murder of college student Lalita Gautam, despite claiming that they were not present at the demonstration and were in Noida-Ghaziabad at the time.
He alleged that he later met Pandey along with Mohit to request that their names be removed from the FIR. According to Bhatti, the two were taken into a side cabin, where three or four people allegedly assaulted them.
Bhatti further alleged that he suffered an eye injury during the assault, claiming that a kick struck his eye while he was falling at the SSP’s feet. He said doctors had told him that only 30 per cent of his eyesight could be restored.
“My voice is like this because I was screaming in pain. He and his colleagues beat me using third-degree torture,” Bhatti alleged, while asserting that he was innocent.
A video of Bhatti has also circulated on social media, purportedly showing swelling around his left eye and bruises on different parts of his body.
The allegations relate to police action following the July 8 protest over the investigation into Gautam’s murder. Her body was found on May 15 in a field in Meerut’s Rohta area. Protesters had blocked the Meerut Collectorate gate for nearly three hours, demanding a meeting with the district administration and the arrest of the main accused, Ankit.
Police said the demonstration later turned violent and baton action was carried out under the leadership of SSP Pandey. A total of 63 protesters — 13 named and 50 unidentified — were subsequently booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 109 relating to attempt to murder. Bhatti was among those named.
Meerut Police, however, offered a different account of the alleged assault. In a statement posted on X, it said several cases were already registered against Bhatti and Mohit Jatav and described both as history-sheeters of their respective police stations.
According to police, Bhatti and Jatav visited Civil Lines police station on August 19 to discuss cases registered against them. The police said that while returning home, they sustained injuries after their scooter skidded.
The two subsequently submitted a written application at the Civil Lines police station regarding the incident, which was recorded as General Diary Entry No. 53 at 5:31 p.m., police said.
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