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N.C. Asthana — Retired IPS officer goes from ‘police brutality’ critic to cheerleader in 6 months

On Saturday, retired IPS officer shared purported video of Uttar Pradesh Police personnel thrashing riot accused with batons in custody, calling it a 'very beautiful scene'.   

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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. 

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”.

Apart from police brutality, the retired IPS officer has in the last few months also been vehemently vocal about several other issues — ranging from right wing activities, alleged instances of Muslim bashing and certain incidents of alleged impunity for pro-Hindutva groups.

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.”

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”.

 

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. 


Also Read: Delhi, UP, Bengal, J&K, Karnataka & more — Muslims rise in protests seeking Nupur Sharma arrest


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”.

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.

Earlier remarks on ‘Dharma Sansad’, Bulli Bai row 

Calling the ‘Bulli Bai’ row a “design to humiliate Muslim women”, Asthana had written a piece in The Wire in January that said: “Bulli Bai and Sulli Deals must not be regarded as mere cyber crimes, as the police and the government would like us to believe in their fire-fighting mode to contain the damage before the elections — nor are they the handiwork of a few perverted individuals for some kicks.”

Criticising the government’s alleged role and the IPC sections invoked against organisers of the controversial ‘Dharma Sansad’ held in Haridwar last December, Asthana had, in another article in The Wire, claimed that any action against such an event would actually help the BJP in a poll-bound state. 

In the piece, he also stated that the police should have slapped sections of sedition against the speakers, but ended up starting a “weak” case.  

In October, the ex-DGP had alleged that the police abuse power by using force on people in a law and order situation, and that such misuse of power resulted in hundreds of deaths. He called the practice “colonial”. 

These are a few articles that probably show the sudden swing in the thought process of Asthana in the past six months. 

This article has been updated with additional information about Asthana’s remarks on other issues.

(Edited by Gitanjali Das)


Also Read: Govt order promoting IPS officer & junior IAS officers to same rank ‘unprecedented’, say bureaucrats


 

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