Two farmer leaders from Meerut have alleged that they were subjected to brutal assault inside police premises, including the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police and the Special Operations Group office, triggering an official inquiry by the Uttar Pradesh Police.

The allegations come amid growing scrutiny of police action in Meerut following protests over the murder of a Dalit woman earlier this year. Additional Director General of Police, Meerut zone, Bhanu Bhaskar has ordered a detailed investigation into the latest allegations, with Deputy Inspector General of Police, Saharanpur Range, Abhishek Singh, directed to conduct the inquiry.

The two leaders are Digvijay Bhati, president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BR Ambedkar), and the organisation’s Meerut district president, Mohit Jatav. Bhati was arrested last month in connection with protests over the death of a Dalit woman and was released on bail after spending 14 days in jail, The Indian Express reported.

The allegations surfaced shortly after Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey was transferred and attached to the DGP headquarters in Lucknow as part of routine transfers involving nine officers. Pandey did not respond to calls seeking comment.

According to ADG Bhaskar, the matter was brought to the notice of the DIG, Meerut, on August 19 following an altercation at the SSP’s office. He said tensions escalated after the dispute and violence was allegedly used. Further action, he said, would be taken after the inquiry report is submitted.

According to Bhati, he and Jatav had been attempting to meet the SSP for several days after the Bhawanpur police opened a history sheet against Jatav.

“We were asked to come to the SSP’s office on Wednesday morning,” Bhati told the newspaper.

“But when we got there, SSP Avinash Pandey started abusing us, saying we had created a nuisance for him. When I objected, policemen present there forcibly dragged me inside, where I was beaten with shoes, fists and kicked for nearly 90 minutes,” Bhati alleged.

He alleged that the two were subsequently taken to the SOG office, where the assault continued.

“At the SOG office, we were tied up and assaulted. We were beaten with sticks and wooden planks on the soles of our feet, waist and back. I was hit around my eye, which left me injured,” Bhati added.

Photographs that later emerged appeared to show swelling and injuries around Bhati’s eye.

Bhati, a resident of Amroha, was arrested on July 8 following a protest over the death of a Dalit woman. He said 10 cases had been registered against him, while Jatav was facing five cases, most of them related to protests and allegations of assault.

The allegations have drawn sharp political reactions. Samajwadi Party leaders met ADG Bhaskar and submitted a complaint regarding the alleged assault. SP’s Meerut district president Karamveer Singh said the party had participated in several joint protests with Bhati’s organisation.

Chandrashekhar Aazad, Nagina MP, also raised serious concerns over the alleged treatment of the two farmer leaders in police custody. He demanded that the government immediately secure CCTV footage from the police offices, arrange an independent medical examination of the victims, ensure an impartial inquiry and initiate strict legal action against any officers found guilty.

Addressing a tweet to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Aazad further said, “This is not policing; rather, it is a blatant misuse of the power vested in the uniform and amounts to custodial torture. No officer has the right to take the law into their own hands.”

Condemning the allegations, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav demanded a thorough investigation and strict punitive action, including dismissal, against every guilty party.

“The torture inflicted upon farmer leaders—including the use of ‘third-degree’ methods at the police station—by the UP BJP government reveals just how rattled they are by the fear of defeat,” he said on X.

The controversy adds to an already contentious record of police action in Meerut during the recent protests. Last month, a video allegedly showed then SSP Pandey slapping a protester inside a police vehicle during demonstrations over the Dalit woman’s death.

The National Human Rights Commission had also taken cognizance of the police crackdown in Meerut in July. The NHRC issued notices to the UP Home Secretary and the Director General of Police after finding prima facie violations of human rights.

The action followed a complaint by the Bhopal-based Dr. Ambedkar Jan Kalyan Samiti, which sought an independent inquiry and individual accountability of police personnel. The organisation alleged that police “unleashed an unprovoked, brutal lathi-charge, inflicting severe physical injuries on multiple protestors.”

The unrest was linked to the murder of Lalita Gautam, a young Dalit woman who went missing from the Transport Nagar police station area on May 15. Her body was recovered from a village in the Rohta area two days later.

Police arrested the prime suspect, Ankush, an acquaintance of Lalita, within 48 hours of the recovery of her body. Two others were subsequently apprehended for allegedly destroying evidence.

On July 8, protesters gathered outside the Meerut Commissioner’s office demanding the arrest of family members of the prime suspect, whom they alleged were also involved in the crime. Police accused the protesters of unlawful assembly, rioting and assaulting police personnel on duty, and registered an FIR containing charges including attempt to murder and outraging the modesty of women police personnel.

Bhati was identified by the police as the primary orchestrator of the blockade and was among those arrested.

With the latest allegations now under investigation, the focus has once again turned to police accountability in Meerut. The inquiry ordered by the ADG will determine whether the farmer leaders’ allegations of assault and custodial torture are substantiated and whether action will follow against those found responsible.