Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar Faces MSHRC FIR Recommendation In Custodial Torture Case

Mumbai/Pune, 10th September 2026: The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) has recommended the registration of an FIR over allegations of custodial torture, illegal detention and the public parading of eight children in conflict with law by personnel of Pune’s Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station.

In an interim order dated September 9, the commission recommended that its two-part fact-finding report, along with the annexed evidence, be treated as the First Information Report (FIR) under Section 173 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

The full bench, comprising MSHRC Chairperson Justice A.M. Badar, member Justice Swapna Joshi and member Sanjay Kumar, further recommended that the investigation be entrusted to an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) or above.

The commission said this was necessary as the allegations extended to Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, who holds the rank of ADGP. It left the selection of the investigating officer to the Maharashtra Director General of Police.

The recommendations form part of ongoing suo motu proceedings initiated after video clips circulated on social media allegedly showing young people tied to the bonnet of a police vehicle and paraded through Pune. Other clips purportedly showed people being forced to kneel and walk on their knees while being assaulted with batons. The commission took cognisance of the matter on August 3.

Three Accused Tied To Police Vehicle
According to the commission’s fact-finding report, three children were allegedly tied with ropes to the bonnet of a police vehicle on July 21 and publicly paraded from the Ambegaon Pathar police outpost to Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station.

A fourth child was allegedly made to sit inside the vehicle. During the parade, police personnel used a loudspeaker to identify the children as accused in the murder of Ganesh Malve.

The report said the children were compelled to cover their faces with their shirts and keep their hands folded. Relatives and friends of the deceased allegedly followed the police vehicle and attempted to assault them, causing severe psychological distress to the children.

The commission observed that publicly parading children in such a manner stripped them of their dignity and stigmatized them as criminals, contrary to the principles of safety, dignity and non-stigmatizing treatment under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Eight Accused Assaulted And Detained
The inquiry committee recorded statements from eight children and examined video footage and other documentary evidence.

According to its findings, four children were apprehended on the night of July 20 and taken to the Ambegaon Pathar police outpost. They were allegedly assaulted the following morning with fibre batons and bamboo sticks.

Three more children who surrendered at Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station on July 21 were also allegedly assaulted and placed in the lock-up. An eighth child was apprehended on July 22.

The report alleged that the children remained in police custody until late on July 24 without being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board within the prescribed period. They were subsequently taken to Sassoon General Hospital for medical examination and later lodged at the Yerwada observation home.

The children also alleged that they were warned not to disclose the alleged assaults to the doctor or the magistrate.

The commission said the available material disclosed prima facie offences relating to voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, assault, criminal intimidation and disobedience of the law by public servants. It also cited provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act relating to cruelty against children and the prohibition on disclosing their identities.

The commission clarified that its findings remain preliminary and are subject to responses and objections from the affected parties.

Separate Incident Involving Four Adult Accused
The commission also examined a separate incident involving four adult accused in Crime No. 363 of 2026, registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station.

Its fact-finding committee concluded that the four men were allegedly subjected to custodial violence, forced to kneel and walk on their knees in public, and assaulted with batons. One police officer allegedly threatened them and told them to vacate their homes and leave the area.

The report identified Senior Police Inspector Mansingh Patil and several other police personnel as allegedly involved. It also attributed responsibility for alleged violations of Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution to senior supervisory officers, including Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police Milind Mohite and Assistant Commissioner of Police Rahul Aware.

Commission Criticises Police Response
The order said Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar became aware of the July 21 incident on the same day after the videos circulated on social media and ordered an internal inquiry.

The commissioner later informed the MSHRC that Patil and Assistant Police Inspector Ganesh Mohite had been transferred and that show-cause notices had been issued proposing the withholding of two increments for one year.

The commission, however, criticised the failure to register an FIR despite the seriousness of the allegations. It said the internal inquiry report referred to by Kumar and Mohite had not been placed before it.

The bench also observed that Mohite’s inquiry relied on videos, statements from police personnel and related material but did not record statements from the children concerned.

The MSHRC said prompt registration of an FIR was required to protect evidence and prevent witnesses from being influenced. It noted that the commissioner had termed the parade “unwarranted” and ordered an inquiry shortly after the footage surfaced.

Report To Be Sent To Bombay High Court
The commission directed that the portion of its fact-finding report concerning the eight children be forwarded to the Registrar General of the Bombay High Court for placement before the Chief Justice for appropriate action.

Unredacted copies of the children’s statements are to be sent confidentially to the Maharashtra DGP. The commission directed that their identities be protected in accordance with Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

Copies of both parts of the inquiry report and their annexures will also be supplied to the respondents and other noticees, allowing them to submit their responses.

The matter is scheduled to come up before the commission on October 26, 2026, at 11 a.m.