New Delhi: Six months ago, former Kerala director general of police (DGP) N.C. Asthana wrote an opinion piece slamming “police brutality”. On Saturday, the retired IPS officer shared a purported video of Uttar Pradesh Police personnel thrashing riot accused with batons in custody, calling it a “very beautiful scene”.
The video — which the UP Police is investigating — had surfaced on social media a day after several parts of India saw protests and violence over former BJP spokespersons’ remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
It went viral in the backdrop of bulldozers reaching Prayagraj and Kanpur, ostensibly to remove “illegal constructions” but allegedly to demolish property linked to those believed to be involved in the violence triggered by the remarks, including on 3 June.
Asthana, a 1986-batch IPS officer of the Kerala cadre, has since posted over two dozen tweets praising the actions of the police personnel in the video, as well as the demolitions.
अत्यंत ही मनोहारी दृश्य!
सुन्दर, अतीव सुन्दर!
हेकड़ी ऐसे ही निकलती है! pic.twitter.com/tGdr2XKxtT— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (@NcAsthana) June 11, 2022
ThePrint reached Asthana by texts and calls for a comment on his stand, but did not receive a response. This report will be updated when a response is received.
A source close to the retired DGP told ThePrint that “there is a reason for which he has changed his stand”.
“He has discovered some very sensitive documents about such riots happening in the country and about the ecosystem, and he would stand by every line he spoke,” the source added.
In his tweets, Asthana justified the police action by alleging a “conspiracy to discredit India” behind the protests last Friday across different parts of the country, which deteriorated into violence at some places.
‘Endemic police brutality’
In a December 2021 piece he wrote for The Wire under the headline, ‘Why Police Brutality and Torture Are Endemic in India’, Asthana said “there is nothing intrinsic to the job of policing that makes them brutal or high-handed”.
Over the past week, as videos of police action in the clashes went viral, he said his heart was “warmed” by the actions of “UP Police”. Seeking to congratulate UP DGP D.S. Chauhan, he tweeted, “Pussyfooting in the past emboldened them. Now crush them and their habit of breaking law under boots.”
Kanpur violence: You have warmed my heart @Uppolice. Congrats DS Chauhan, DGP. The way it is being investigated, I am sure, will get these rioters and their backers behind bars. Pussyfooting in the past emboldened them. Now crush them and their habit of breaking law under boots.
— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (@NcAsthana) June 7, 2022
In another tweet, he shared a photograph of state police purportedly charging at a protester with a baton in Prayagraj, saying, “I regret the day when polycarbonate pipes were introduced in police”, adding that “the good, old, linseed oil-soaked bamboo lathis” were better.
In several of his social media posts, he heaped praise on UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, referring to him as “Maharaj ji”. He also referred to journalists as “pimps”, “idiots”, “donkeys”.
वाह, महाराज जी, वाह https://t.co/mgcpq4y3nD
— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (@NcAsthana) June 11, 2022
The anti-Modi/Yogi/BJP pimp journalists are trying to project as if spontaneous protests ‘erupted’ across the country. No, there is no reason to believe so. As it was for the anti-CAA protests, they are also ‘organized’ in a conspiracy to discredit India and tarnish its image.
— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (@NcAsthana) June 10, 2022
पत्रकार टाइप के कुछ गधे इस बारीक कानूनी मसले पर शंका कर रहे हैं। गधों से सावधान। फायरिंग के अधिकार के विषय में कोई शुबहा न रखें। दर्जन भर फैसलों में कहा गया है कि स्पाॅट पर लिये गये निर्णय को एसी कमरे में बैठ कर चुनौती नहीं दी जा सकती। काश ये मूर्ख पत्रकार कभी टकराये होते!
— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (@NcAsthana) June 13, 2022
Asthana, who retired in December 2019, has previously served in senior positions in the Border Security Force (BSF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In Kerala, he also served as director of vigilance and the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
In his Twitter bio, he refers to himself as a “nuclear physicist” who has authored “76 scientific research papers and 49 books”.
This is not the first time Asthana’s remarks have led to controversy. In 2020, his comments on the police force, reportedly calling his peers and officers “duffers”, had drawn criticism.
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The backlash
Asthana’s tweets have drawn much criticism from fellow members of the civil services.
Arun Bothra, a senior IPS officer serving as Additional Director General of Police (Crime Branch) in Odisha, tweeted: “Custodial violence is not something to rejoice about.”
Calling the alleged custodial violence in UP “illegal” and a “crime”, Bothra also requested Asthana not to “glorify an illegal practice”.
Sir, with due respect, custodial violence is not something to rejoice about. Assaulting anyone detained in a police station is not some act of bravery. It’s a crime. Let’s not glorify an illegal practice.
Courts have the authority and duty to punish guilty, not Police. https://t.co/iIdO10658p
— Arun Bothra 🇮🇳 (@arunbothra) June 12, 2022
Let’s understand the simple difference.
– Use of force to control riots is absolutely correct & legal. This includes firing on violent crowd, if required.
– Assaulting those who are already in custody is illegal.
Glad that UP Police has also denounced the custodial violence. pic.twitter.com/b84MIvUfcq
— Arun Bothra 🇮🇳 (@arunbothra) June 13, 2022
Arvind Mayaram, a retired IAS officer, also tweeted, “I wish police would have made the hooligans from the majority community dance the same way when they went with lathis and swords in front of mosques just last month.”
A few other senior serving and retired IPS officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, were also critical of his comments.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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Source: The Print
