BHOPAL: Youngsters in Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, who reportedly went overboard celebrating India’s Champions Trophy victory on Sunday night, have faced unusual punishment from local police.
The police allegedly got the concerned youths tonsured and then publicly paraded them on the road in Dewas city, reportedly in the name of recreating the dangerous Sunday late-night celebrations.
Videos of youths with tonsured heads being taken into police custody on Monday evening went viral, prompting third-term local BJP MLA Gayatri Raje Puar to meet Dewas District Police Superintendent Punit Gehlot the following day.
“Not just the nine youngsters, but the entire country was celebrating India’s Champions Trophy title triumph. They are not habitual criminals, so the act of tonsuring their heads and publicly parading them on the road is unwarranted. The family members of the concerned youths accompanied me to the SP Dewas office on Tuesday morning. We’ve condemned the unimaginable punishment given to the youths. The SP has promised a thorough probe into the entire matter,” the BJP MLA said.
The SP-Dewas Punit Gahlot, meanwhile, said that “a probe has been instituted into the entire series of incidents starting from the Sunday late-night celebrations to the Monday evening development. The probe will be conducted from all possible angles by the additional SP Jaiveer Singh Bhadoria in a time-bound manner. The probe will be completed within seven days, and those found at fault will have to face appropriate action.”
“Whatever action has been taken so far in connection with the Sunday late night incident is based on the video footage of the incident. The probe ordered into the incident will cover all angles, including investigating whether those taken into custody were actually involved or not (particularly as their families are pleading their innocence),” Gahlot added.
Importantly, following the Men in Blue’s title win in Dubai, massive celebrations erupted in the western MP’s Dewas city. During the celebrations, when the local police team led by the police station in-charge Ajay Singh Gurjar tried to stop some youths from bursting crackers dangerously in the heart of Dewas city – the Sayaji Gate -- those youths were caught on camera misbehaving with the police team, forcing the police team to leave the place hastily. While the police station in charge left the place, some youths could be seen chasing the police vehicle and pelting stones at it.
Based on the video footage of the Sunday late-night celebrations-related incident, the local police booked ten youths in the matter. The police were later caught on camera parading tonsured youths from the local police station to the Sayaji Gate (the place where the Sunday late-night incident happened) on Monday evening.
Also, on Sunday late night, some cops physically assaulted a local Momos seller for selling his wares till late night amid the celebrations. The entire brutality was caught on camera. Acting in the matter, the concerned police constable has already been attached to the police lines and a probe ordered into the incident. The probe into that incident is being conducted by a circle SP (CSP).