A 22-year-old engineering student and a 45-year-old man have died after allegedly being beaten by police personnel in separate incidents in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal and Ashoknagar, respectively, with senior officers launching probes in both cases.
In Bhopal, Udit Gaayki, a final-year B.Tech student at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Sehore campus, was allegedly killed after he was assaulted by two constables after he was returning from a party at around 1:30 a.m. on the intervening night of Thursday (October 9, 2025) and Friday (October 10, 2025).
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Bhopal zone-2, Vivek Singh told The Hindu that constables Santosh Bamniya and Saurabh Arya, who were on night patrolling, have been suspended and a probe has been launched.
A purported CCTV footage of the incident has appeared on social media showing a police constable hitting a youth with baton. The youth was taken to a nearby hospital by his friends but was declared brought dead.
“We have seized CCTV footage and recorded statements of his friends,” Mr. Singh said, adding that a post-mortem was conducted by a panel of doctors at AIIMS, Bhopal, revealing pancreas hemorrhage and baton-inflicted injuries on the victim’s body.
He said that the victim was returning from a party with two of his friends.
“They had broken a bottle on the road after which the constables on bike patrolling approached them. While the other two boys fled on their two-wheeler, Udit started running after seeing the cop,” he said, adding that the personnel caught hold of him in a lane where the alleged assault took place.
“Prima facie, one of the constables assaulted him while another was standing. We have suspended both. We will take further action based on evidence,” he added.
Meanehile, his friends have alleged that the constables demanded ₹10,000 in bribe for stopping the assault and letting Mr. Gaayki go, local reports said.
Mr. Gaayki’s brother-in-law is a DSP with the State’s anti-naxal Hawk Force, currently posted in Balaghat district, Mr. Singh said.
In Ashoknagar district, Laksham Yadav, 45, a resident of Bamuria village under Shadaura police station limit died on Thursday night with the family members and locals alleging that he was beaten up by a group of police personnel and drowned in a water filled dig.
Locals also staged demonstrations at a hospital and at a nearby highway, demanding an FIR against the alleged personnel.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDOP) Vivek Sharma, however, denied charges and said that some personnel had gone to the village around 8 p.m. to act on some inputs of illegal liquor trade and that Mr. Yadav “fell in the dig while running from them”.
“He started running after seeing the police team and fell in a dig in a field. In fact, the police personnel only took him out,” he said, adding that the district administration has ordered a magisterial probe by the local SDM.
“For a fair probe, the SP has also taken five personnel, including station incharge Ritu Chouhan, off duty and attached them to the police line. Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the death,” he added.
Published – October 11, 2025 12:44 am IST
