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Six Muslim men were killed by police bullets after a minor quarrel over the food bill at a roadside stall escalated into rioting in the north Maharashtra town on January 6. All the dead had injuries in the upper half of their bodies.
The video clips (see links below) show policemen ignoring people their bullets had injured. One clip shows a constable taking a self-loading rifle from his senior officer and aiming to shoot above the waist. He went through with the shot.
Video I: Dhule unmasks rioters in uniform - Part 1
Video II: Dhule unmasks rioters in uniform - Part 2
Video III: Dhule riots: Cops on rampage
Video IV: Cop fires above waist
Witnesses alleged the shooting began without warning, and that all shots were above the waist. “A constable fired three shots, one of which hit Imran Ali below his collar bone, leading to his death,” said a person who was present at the scene. The Indian Express could not independently verify whether the bullet that killed Imran Ali was fired by the policeman in question.
The Maharashtra Police manual lays down a strict protocol for opening fire to disperse a mob. “If the police are going to have to resort to firing there has to be a clear and distinct warning that firing will be effective. Here too, the rule is to use minimal force. So firing must aim low and at the most threatening part of the crowd with a view not to cause fatalities but to disperse the crowd. As soon as the crowd show signs of breaking up, the firing must stop,” say the police’s rules on crowd dispersal.
When contacted, Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal said he had not seen these clips; however, an inquiry into the incident was ongoing.
“We need to see under what circumstances and situation the police were in at the time of firing. As per rules, if the police and rioters are at the same level then one needs to fire low. But if the other side is on a higher plane, then the situation changes. However, I would not like to comment on the incident as I have not seen the video,” Dayal said.
Residents of Dhule alleged no guidelines were followed. “There was no warning before the police fired,” said a person who was in the crowd in Machhi Bazar on January 6.
A clip shows policemen walking calmly past a man felled by their bullets, ignoring pleas for help from local people. As the policemen move on, more gunshots are heard.
congrats policeman for their brave afford....salute you...jai hind jai maharastra
First of all I whole heartedly express by gratitude to Indian Express to bring out the police shame to the public. I wonder why the main stream so called progressive english news channels bring hot debates on trivial isssues and waste precious prime time keeping mum on debating this issue of national importance. We need anaswer from this self proclaimed champions of liberal/secular/unbiased voices of emerging India.
I wish this had happened in Gujrath .... whole media and NGO industry and Secular politicians would have come together to take blood of the chief minister. Nothing of this happened in Maharashtra?? So, let's get real about politicians, NGOs and Media .... they will get into situations for sensationaling, or dividing communities to get votes and NGOs only if they are sponsored. Nether media found this sensational, politicians found it objectionable and NGOs did not get sponsorship. We all .... WE ALL need to stand with each other again evil amongst us and not join these opportunists who survive on our blood. I think CM should resign for this.
The mumbai police have done a good job in preventing the riots from spreading any further and limiting the damages. I think the rioters expected the police men to stand like scare crows and sitting ducks for them to be killed like how it happened on Aug 11 in Mumbai. The people who got killed were all rioters (He being a muslim is secondary).
cant believe police whose job is to safeguard life and property of citizen is involved in killing innocent and looting properties, what a shame, this is communal mentality of police , thanks to IE for bringing this up, will these perpetrators of crime be punished and victims get justice, case will go for 20 years and nothing will happen, this is nothing new police and security forces have been involved in every riots from dhule to gujarat to bhagalpur, these hatred and communalism needs to be stopped, fast track court needs to be setup and severe punishment for these criminals be awarded
EXAMPLE OF DHULE IS MINI GUJRAT RIOT WHERE POLICE ACT AGAINST MUSLIMS.
Dhule riots and role of the police is a national shame. Both Sonia Congress and Sharad Pawar NCP in the Maharashtra's coalition government have been playing it cool, with their usual dumping down of Muslim outrage. Even the state's prime English newspaper, the Times of India, which is known for taking up social causes, has chosen to or made to remain silent. However, unless the wider public is made aware of the monstrosity of the police mind-set that is eating up the secular space and has completely gone communal, both the supposedly 'secular' political parties will not lift a finger to break the police mafia that is holding Maharashtra hostage to a dark network of anti-national conspiracies, that are bent to destroy India's security, unity and pluralist polity. Victims can only get any justice, any relief, any security through intervention by the highest judicial authorities of the land when the mastermind of the conspiracies are brought to justice.
The police are easy targets for Muslims and their leaders. if the muslims would not have started the riots why woudl the police fire upon them. what happened in Mumbai on 11 Aug was example that if the police stand silent they are targetted and at that time the muslim clerics and the leaders dont get these vanal arrested. The police did the right thing by firing on the rioters. Muslims are used to self pity and crying for everything. if they are minorities then they should learn to live like minorities and not try and become vandals. The police does not fire on them because they are muslims but because they are rioters. Good job one Dhule Police. They did not succumb to political pressure and took the right decision.
Dude, before writing your comments clearly showing a prejudice against the Muslims, did you watch the videos? Are the police in any country allowed to go an destroy and loot private property like that? Do incidents like these actually alienate and incite the minorities and provoke the extremists elements amongst them? When I was growing up we had to mostly rely on the government lies for news, but now you can clearly see the videos and decide for yourself. If a picture is worth a thousand words, you can just do the math on a video.
The police shot a very few of them.Should have brought down a few 100 marauders.That would have given them a lesson of a lifetime.
I think amit if they would have shot some of your family members then the score would have been better.
The comments from people like "India" and "Bhagat Singh" are nothing but shameful. Do they realise that the Islamist terrorists love guys like them? The Islamic extremists paint such perverse views ( as those coming from the Hindus of this country. Thank God these people are only a miniscule minority among the Hindus.
Its shocking that express is so biased in its report. firstly you should also see several videos on youtube where shops r being burnt and looted by muslims. Secondly if the cop in your video has taken a shot, he fired at the protestors. That means whosoever died was involved in rioting. that clearly shows that pseudo secular organisations like urs have wrongly claimed that innocents died in the protests. Have u or any of ur peers bothered to visit hindu homes and shops which were burnt?? or even visit hospitals where 40 cops were admitted with head injuries??? and what about acid being thrown on woman cop by muslim rioters?? Jaago indian express jaago!!!
police avoided death of 1000 of indian by wasting only 6 bullets..brave...and great... atlast thru this video now every one understood who are the rioters ...hmm..which was hidden by media for so long..not to put police in badlight they wer forced to show the troiuble meakers..
do not belame then, these are the causes which give birth to resistance and then you call it terrorism. You need to know how to respect monorities. you have to save India not to divide it again.
press should report the entire matter from start to end, and not the tasty bits appeasing the muslims ... are you trying to ensure that muslims also buy your newspaper... i am sure that your rusted memory forgot that Abu Azmi gave a speech in Dhule that in the next provocation the muslims should kill the police , he did that in Bhiwandi where the muslim mob killed two cops in the most brutal fashion. To avoid the repeat of the same, the police who were cornered in a narrow lane, 600 rioters surrounded 160-200 policemen and attacked them with all sorts of weapons, in retaliation to save their lives and the whole of Dhule from burning furhter the cops finished them. this is the same message given to muslim rioters protesting in the Azad Maidan, when they crossed the limits and attacked the police (they kicked a pregnant woman constable that killed her baby) (they brutally assaulted a cop and were carrying away his half dead body) thats when they retaliated.
People who died were not on a peaceful agitation, they were shot dead, coz thay were invovled in riots. Such people who are not at all an asset to the country nor to their pareants. I appreciate the act & in such incidents in future police must kill all those who are involved in riotsing and destruction. These uncivilised youths & men deserve to be dead.
