Meerut protest road blockade: five detained as police deny assault allegation

Police in Meerut detained five people for questioning after a road blockade during protests over the murder of a 20-year-old woman. Protesters alleged a detainee, Ravi Gautam, was slapped inside a police vehicle by SSP Avinash Pandey, citing a circulating video. Police denied the assault claim and said detainees refused to disperse.

Police in Meerut detained five people for questioning on Wednesday. Police said the group blocked a road during a protest. The protest followed the killing of a 20-year-old woman. Some protesters alleged police slapped one detainee, but police rejected that claim.

Police said the detainees’ names were not shared by the time of filing. Police said some people provoked the victim’s family and planned a blockade. The crowd gathered outside the collectorate gate, police said. Police added the detainees refused to leave despite persuasion.

Meerut protest road blockade: Assault claim and video clip

A protester, Ravi Gautam, said police mistreated Ravi Gautam after detention. Ravi Gautam alleged Senior Superintendent of Police SSP Avinash Pandey hit Ravi Gautam inside a police vehicle. Ravi Gautam also said Ravi Gautam tried to take Ravi Gautam’s own life inside the van. Ravi Gautam linked this to distress from the alleged behaviour.

A video shared on social media appeared to show the SSP entering a police vehicle. The clip also appeared to show the SSP slapping a person. The footage did not clearly show who was slapped. The report could not independently verify the clip’s authenticity.

Police denied Ravi Gautam was slapped inside the police vehicle. Police gave no further detail on the allegation. Police continued to describe the detentions as linked to the road blockade. Police said questioning was ongoing at the time of reporting.

Meerut murder case: Timeline, arrests, and investigation

Police said Lalita Gautam went missing from the TP Nagar area on May 15. Police said Lalita Gautam was found dead in the Rohta area on May 17. Police said the main accused, Ankush Kumar, was arrested on May 18. Police said another accused was later held for destroying evidence.

Police said the investigation later indicated more people had roles in the case. SSP Pandey said the victim’s family stayed in regular touch with police. SSP Pandey added police acted on concerns raised by the family. Police did not share how many more suspects were being checked.

Meerut protest road blockade: Identification and legal action

SSP Pandey said people used a plan to submit a memorandum as a pretext. SSP Pandey said some people still pushed the family towards protest. SSP Pandey said the blockade happened outside the Collectorate gate. SSP Pandey said video analysis and social media posts helped identify active participants.

SSP Pandey said police were examining Digvijay Singh Bhati’s role and others’ roles. Police said Bhati claims to be national president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ambedkar faction. SSP Pandey said legal action would follow based on evidence. Police also claimed some identified people had criminal histories.

Police alleged Bhati has several criminal cases in Amroha and Meerut. Police also alleged Ravi Gautam has cases in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar. Police said these include a murder-related case. Police said the cases are pending in courts, and were cited as antecedents.

Pandey said Ravi Gautam and Bhati were present at the protest. Pandey alleged both were trying to vitiate the atmosphere. Pandey also alleged Bhati was the mastermind behind the episode. Pandey claimed Bhati had been externed from the district, yet joined the protest.

With inputs from PTI