UP cops thrash men on camera; BJP MLA's 'return gift for rioters' comment, Akhilesh Yadav's objection

Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA shared a video on Twitter which showed a group of men being thrashed mercilessly by police in what appears a police station. The caption MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi wrote said 'return gift for rioters'.

In the video, the police are seen hitting the men with sticks while they try to block the blows and beg to be spared. 

The incident purportedly took place two days ago in a police station in Saharanpur where protests had flared up demanding arrest of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma.

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The video shared by Tripathi and its accompanying captions have garnered severe criticism online. 

Former UP Chief Minister Akilesh Yadav too slammed the comments saying such incidents damage people's faith in the justice system. 

The Samajwadi Party chief added that questions should be raised about such police stations, highlighting that UP is at a grim first in custodial deaths, human rights violations and the abuse faced by Dalits.