police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. This list also includes events from the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
.
British India
*?? September 1895 – In Old Dhule township of Maharashtra, Khambete Guruji, inspired by Lokmanya Tilak, started sarvajanik Ganeshotsav. On the auspicious day of Anant Chaturdashi that was in September 1895, Ganesh Visarjan procession passed near by Sai Masjid and communal altercation ensued. To control the riot, police opened fire on crowd that killed and wounded Indians (Hindu and Muslim). To this day, the Ganpati temple is known as Khuni Ganpati and the Masjid is known as Khuni Ganpati although it has now become a symbol of communal harmony with people from both communities participating in Ganeshotsav.
*15 April 1919 – After the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, took place on 13 April 1919. A large peaceful crowd had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab, to protest against the Rowlatt Act and arrest of pro-independence ...
, protests occurred in
Gujranwala
Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...
against the killings of civilians at Amritsar. Police and aircraft were used against the protestors, resulting in at least 379 deaths and leaving more than a thousand people injured.
*12 December 1930 –
Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
cotton mill worker Babu Genu Said was crushed by a truck at the order of police. He was an active participant in the protests, organized by Indian independence activists against the import of foreign made cloth. His death resulted in a huge wave of anger, strikes, and protests throughout Bombay.
Post-Independence
1950s
*13 June 1959 – The Angamaly firing involved police firing at a group of people marching to the police station protesting against the incumbent Communist government. The firing killed seven people and injured many others.
1960s
*25 March 1966 –
Pravir Chandra Bhanj Deo
Pravir Chandra Bhanj Deo, King of Bastar (''Pravir Chandra Bhanj Dev'' 25 June 1929 – 25 March 1966) was the 20th Maharaja of Bastar StateA king mulls over two strategies The Hindu, 25 April 2013. (Story about Pravir Chandra's great-nephew.)
1970s
*1976 – The
Rajan case
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...
Bhagalpur
Bhagalpur is a city in the Indian state of Bihar, situated on the southern banks of the river Ganges. It is the 2nd largest city of Bihar by population and also the headquarters of Bhagalpur district and Bhagalpur division. Known as the Silk ...
in the state of Bihar, India when police blinded 31 undertrials (or convicted criminals, according to some versions), by pouring acid into their eyes.
1980s
*20 April 1981 – The 1981 Indravelli massacre was an incident where a gathering of Gond Adivasis, some organised by the Kondapalli Sitaramayya faction of the CPI(ML) and some attending the local market, were fired on by police officers at the village of Indravelli in Andhra Pradesh. The official report claimed that a group of 30 police and five officials opened fire after they were attacked and one of their number speared to death. The number of civilian deaths was cited as 13. Investigations by journalists and local human rights groups place the number of police present in the dozens, and the number of victims between 60 and 250
*22 May 1987 – The
Hashimpura massacre
The Hashimpura massacre was the killing of 50 Muslim men by police on or around 22 May 1987 near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh state, India, during the 1987 Meerut communal riots. It was reported that 19 personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary ...
Meerut
Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...
city in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
state, India, when 19 personnel of the
Provincial Armed Constabulary
Provincial may refer to:
Government & Administration
* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country
* Provincial city (disambiguation)
* Provincial minister (disambiguation)
* Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...
(PAC) allegedly rounded up 42 Muslim youths from the Hashimpura ''
mohalla
is an Arabic word variously translated as district, quarter, ward, or "neighborhood" in many parts of the Arab world, the Balkans, Western Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and nearby nations.
History
Historically, mahallas were autonomous social ins ...
'' (locality) of the city, took them in truck to the outskirts, near Murad Nagar, in
Ghaziabad district
Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Mun ...
, where they were shot and their bodies were dumped in water canals. A few days later dead bodies were found floating in the canals.
1990s
*30 October 1992 – 2 November 1992 –
Ayodhya firing incident
The Ayodhya firing describes the occasion when the Uttar Pradesh police open fired at civilians on two separate days, 30October 1990 and 2November 1990, in the aftermath of the Ram Rath Yatra. The civilians were religious volunteers, or '' kar ...
took place when
Uttar Pradesh police
The Uttar Pradesh Police (UP Police), (IAST: ), is the primary law enforcement agency within the Uttar Pradesh state of India. Established in 1863 as the Office of the Inspector General of Police, United Provinces under the ''Police Act, 1861'' ...
fired live ammunition at civilians who were religious devotees or '' kar sevaks'', assembled near the
Ram Janmabhoomi
Ram Janmabhoomi (literally, "Rama's birthplace") is the site that is hypothesized to be the birthplace of Rama, believed to be the seventh avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. The Ramayana states that the location of Rama's birthplace is on the ...
site at
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Sāketa, Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and ...
.
*1–2 October 1994 – The Rampur Tiraha firing involved police firing on unarmed
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
Muzaffarnagar district
Muzaffarnagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is part of Saharanpur division. The city of Muzaffarnagar is the district headquarters. This district is the part of National Capital Region.
History Medieval ...
in
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
on the night of 1–2 October 1994. The activists, part of the agitation for the separate state of
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...
, were going to
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
to stage a dharna at
Raj Ghat
Raj Ghat is a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi, India. Originally it was the name of a historic ghat of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad). Close to it, and east of Daryaganj was ''Raj Ghat Gate'' of the walled city, opening at ''Raj Gha ...
on
Gandhi Jayanti
Gandhi Jayanti is an event celebrated in India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi. It is celebrated annually on 2 October, and is one of the three national holidays of India. The UN General Assembly announced on 15 June 2007 that it adop ...
, the following day, when alleged unprovoked police firing in the night of 1 October led to the death of six activists, and some women were allegedly raped and molested in the ensuing melee.
*25 November 1994 – The Koothuparamba firing was a police action in the Kannur district of Kerala. The firing happened after the inauguration of the Co-operative Urban Bank's evening branch, when the
DYFI
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) is a youth organisation in India. It was founded in its inaugural conference held from 1–3 November 1980 at Shaheed Kartar Singh Saraba village in Ludhiana, Punjab.
DYFI identifies itself to be an ...
protested against
Communist Marxist Party
Communist Marxist Party (CMP) was a political party in Kerala. The party was founded in 1986 when CPI(M) leader M. V. Raghavan was expelled from the CPI(M) due to a grave difference of opinion regarding the formation of alliances with the IUML ...
(CMP) leader and Kerala's Minister, M.V. Raghavan. The police fired at the crowd for both the protection of the Minister and public and private property. Five
DYFI
Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) is a youth organisation in India. It was founded in its inaugural conference held from 1–3 November 1980 at Shaheed Kartar Singh Saraba village in Ludhiana, Punjab.
DYFI identifies itself to be an ...
activists were dead and six people were injured.
*31 August 1995 - The 1995 Kodiyankulam violence, where a force of 600 policemen attacked the all-Dalit village of Kodiyankulam in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu.
*1999 – The Manjolai Labourers massacre was brutal police action on a procession taken out in support of agitating tea estate workers, claimed 17 lives in Thirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
Adivasi
The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...
s who had gathered under Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (ADMS) in protest to the
Kerala Government
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
's delay in allotting them land, which had been contracted in October 2001. Two fatalities were officially confirmed, however the government later put the death toll at five. More than 15 Adivasis were fatally wounded.
*2006 – Police opened fire on people protesting against land acquisition for SEZ of
Videocon
Videocon Industries Limited is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Mumbai. The group had 17 manufacturing sites in India and plants in Mainland China, Poland, Italy and Mexico. It was the third largest picture tube manufact ...
at Maan village in
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
.
*2007 –
Nandigram violence
Nandigram Violence refers to the violence in Nandigram, West Bengal, India, in 2007 due to the land acquisition for a project taken up by the CPI(M)-led Government of West Bengal to create a chemical hub, a type of special economic zone (S ...
– Police opened fire on villagers protesting against land acquisition for building a SEZ with Indonesian real-estate company
Salim group
The Salim Group is Indonesia's biggest conglomerate and refers to companies where the Salim family held majority ownership. Its assets include Indofood Sukses Makmur, the world's largest instant noodle producer; Indomobil Group, one of Indones ...
at
Nandigram
Nandigram is a census town in the Nandigram I Community Development Block of the Haldia subdivision in the Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal.
In 2007, the West Bengal government allowed the Salim Group to set up a che ...
village in
East Midnapore
Purba Medinipur (English: ''East Medinipur'', alternative spelling ''Midnapore'') district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the southernmost district of Medinipur division – one of the five administrative d ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
Beemapally
Beemapally is a region within the city of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India. Beemapally is famous for its mosque, Beemapally Dargah Shareef, which houses the tomb of Syedunnisa Beema Beevi, a woman believed to have divine powers, ...
in
Trivandrum District
Thiruvananthapuram District (), is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present d ...
,
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
who had gathered to protest the police inaction in controlling goons. The firing killed 6 and injured around 43-52 people—all Muslims.
*23 July 2009 – at Khwairamband market,
Imphal
Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...
, Manipur police commandos killed an unarmed youth Ch Sanjit Meitei in an alleged encounter and later claiming to seize a pistol on him; in the ensuing encounter a pregnant lady Rabina Devi was also killed, whom the police claimed was shot during the crossfire.
2010s
*2011 – The police opened fire on protesters protesting against the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant and killed one of the protesters.
*3 June 2011 – The Forbesganj firing was an act of state brutality in which four villagers were killed near
Forbesganj
Forbesganj is a (proposed district)city with municipality in the Araria District (formerly Purnia District before 1992) in the state of Bihar, India, situated at the border of Nepal.
Etymology
During the British Raj the area was under the admi ...
, a town in
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. An inquiry into the incident, conducted by reputed NGO
ANHAD
ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) is an Indian socio-cultural organization established in March 2003, as a response to 2002 Gujarat riots. Social activist Shabnam Hashmi, sister of the slain activist Safdar Hashmi and founder of SAHMAT, ...
, suggests a role of politicians from the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
in the killings. The residents of the village of Bhajanpur were protesting the grant of land to a factory owned by the son of
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
politician Ashok Agarwal.
*5 June 2011 – The
2011 Indian anti-corruption movement
The Indian anti-corruption movement, popularly known as Anna Andolan, was a series of demonstrations and protests across India that began in 2011 and was intended to establish strong legislation and enforcement against perceived endemic politi ...
.
*2013 – The
Dhule
Dhule is a city located in the Dhule District in the northwestern part of Maharashtra state, India known as West Khandesh. Situated on the banks of Panzara River, Dhule is the regional headquarters of MIDC, RTO, and MTDC.
The city is mainly kn ...
Shootout was an incident in which police opened fire on violent Muslim youths killing 6 and injuring around 20. Police were also involved in burning Muslim houses and destroying their property.
*25 August 2015 – The
Patidar
Patidar (Gujarati language, Gujarati: ) is an Indian landlord and agrarian Caste system in India, caste found mostly in Gujarat but also in at least 22 other states of India. The community comprises at multiple subcastes, most prominently the L ...
community organised an assembly of over 500,000 people at the GMDC Ground in
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
Hardik Patel
Hardik Patel (born 20 July 1993) is an Indian politician and social activist. He rose to prominence in July 2015, where he led the Patidar reservation agitation that sought Other Backward Class (OBC) status for the Patidar caste.
He joined the ...
led others remaining there on hunger strike after the formal rally was over. Police arrested him in the evening, using a
lathicharge
A baton charge is a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people, usually used by police or military in response to public disorder. In South Asia, a long bamboo stick, called ''lathi'' in Hindi, is used for crowd control, and the expressi ...
during which journalists were among those injured.
*13 October 2015 – Punjab police shot two protestors and injured 50 others at a protest in
Kotkapura
Kot Kapura is a historic city in Faridkot district, some 50 km from Bathinda, 40 km from Moga, Punjab, Moga and 30 km from Muktsar in the state of Punjab (India), Punjab, India. It is the largest city in the Faridkot District and ...
, Punjab, following the Guru Granth Sahib desecration in different parts of Punjab. Police claimed to be acting in self-defence.
*2015 – The Andhra shootout was an incident in the Seshachalam forest in
Chittoor District
Chittoor district () is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Chittoor. It has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. It lies in ...
,
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
that killed 20 suspected woodcutters.
*2018 – The
Thoothukudi violence
Thoothukudi massacre (also known as the Thoothukudi police firing, the Anti Sterlite protest firing and so on) denotes events that took place on 22 and 23 May 2018 in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, India. The violence took place during an ongoing pro ...
was an incident in
Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
where 13 unarmed protestors were killed and 100+ injured by the
Tamil Nadu Police
Tamil Nadu Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is over 150 years old and is the fifth largest state police force in India.
Citizenship Amendment Act protests
The Citizenship Amendment Act (Bill) protests, also known as the CAA Protest, CAB Protest or CAA and NRC protests, occurred after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted by the Government of India on 12 December 2019. The move sparked ...
, police attacked student protesters as well as non-protesting students at the campus of
Jamia Milia Islamia
Jamia Millia Islamia () is a central university located in New Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British Raj in 1920, it moved to its current location in Okhla in ...
On the same day, Police and
Rapid Action Force
The Rapid Action Force (RAF) is a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force of India to deal with riot and crowd control situations.
History
RAF was raised on 11 December 1991 with headquarters in New Delhi. It became fully opera ...
injured several students—including some serious injuries—by firing tear-gas shells, rubber bullets, stun grenades and pellets at students of the
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
protesting against the same act. The security forces reportedly hurled communal abuses at the students. The forces fired tear gas shell inside hostel rooms and set ablaze vehicles belonging to students.
Thoothukudi
Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) is a port city, a municipal corporation and an industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The city lies in the Coromandel Coast of Bay of Bengal. Thoothukudi is the capital and he ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
The duo had been beaten, brutally tortured, and sexually assaulted.
*23 September 2021 – In Sipajhar, Assam, three people were killed and several others injured by police firing during a protest staged by evicted residents.
See also
*
Law enforcement in India
Law of India, Indian law is enforced by a number of Law enforcement agency, agencies. Unlike many federation, federal nations, the constitution of India delegates the maintenance of law and order primarily to the States and union territories ...
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...