The victims of police brutality in India's Uttar Pradesh state say they are horrified at the macabre nature of the torture they were subjected to.
Mohammad Sharik has been whimpering in pain for the last seven days. All this while his mother Rayeesa has stood by his bedside holding his hand. Every time Sharik lets out a scream in anguish, his mother breaks down into tears. On December 20, the 20-year-old was protesting against India's new citizenship law, a controversial measure that triggered countrywide demonstrations against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party . The police detained and subjected him to custodial torture.
Sharik had never taken part in any protest in his life before. But he says with the introduction of the new citizenship law things have come to a tipping point for Indian Muslims. Those opposing the law argue that India has a secular constitution, which allows people from all faiths to seek refuge or citizenship in the country. And by excluding Muslims from it, they argue, the law violates one of the basic tenets of Indian constitution--which is the freedom to practice any religion.
A total of 25 people have been killed across India since the protests against the law began earlier this month, 19 of these deaths occurred in Uttar Pradesh. Facing criticism for suppressing the ongoing dissent using brute police force, the Indian government has condemned the protesters, calling them "rioters" and accusing them of vandalising public property and injuring several hundred policemen.
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