Police beating reminds Delhi High Court of George Perry Floyd Jr's 'I can’t breathe' moment

NEW DELHI:  Holding that the law does not permit people to be beaten up in police custody or during interrogation, the high court has said that no one should repeat the tragic words like George Perry Floyd, Jr: ‘I can’t breathe.” 

“The law does not permit people to be beaten-up in police custody or during interrogation. The assault by the police on the petitioner and his associate is questionable. One can never be too vigilant about the rights of citizens being violated or over-reaction by law-enforcers which may lead to an unfortunate incident or tragedy. Let no one have to repeat the tragic last words like George Perry Floyd, Jr.: “I can’t breathe”,” said the court.

Justice Najmi Waziri was hearing a plea by two men who were allegedly illegally detained on January 25 and mercilessly beaten up by Turkman Gate Police Post and are seeking a fresh preliminary inquiry in a fair manner by a senior police officer.

The court perused the photographs of the incident and said the assault by the police on the petitioners is questionable as the law does not permit people to be beaten up even during interrogation.

The court directed an inquiry by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Vigilance) and petition be treated the petitioners’ representation to the police. The counsel for government said that due to a preceding occurrence (showed video proof), strict action was taken against both men.    

A gist According to the petition, two men claimed that they along with two others were “mercilessly beaten, illegally detained, tortured by the police personnel of Turkman Gate Police Post”. Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Sufian Siddiqui said that any form of torture would fall within Article 21 of the Constitution and is tantamount to a brazen attack on the very edifice of rule of law

Why reference to Floyd 
The death of George Floyd, an African-American man, had drawn widespread protests in the US last year after a video showed a police officer pressing his knee on of hand-cuffed Floyd who was heard saying “I can’t breathe”