Indian Muslim teen in critical condition after alleged police torture
Rights groups demand action as 17-year-old placed on dialysis after nine days of abuse in custody, family alleges
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A 17-year-old Muslim boy in western India is fighting for his life after what community leaders describe as days of brutal torture inside a police station. The case has renewed concern over custodial abuse in the country and its disproportionate impact on minorities.
Independent outlet Clarion India reported that Aryan Makhiyala, a daily wage laborer from Gujarat’s Botad district, was detained on August 19 over theft allegations. His family said he was held without due process and beaten repeatedly along with his grandfather. Aryan is now unconscious and undergoing dialysis in Ahmedabad with severe kidney and internal injuries.
Relatives released a video testimony that quickly spread online, showing grandparents and siblings recounting how police assaulted the teenager. Local activists say the case is emblematic of a larger pattern of impunity. The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC), a civil rights group, has written to state authorities demanding accountability.
“This is not the first case in Botad,” MCC convenor Mujahid Nafees said, noting that another Muslim youth died in custody in 2023 after alleged police beatings. “The officers acted with malice and ignored basic custodial rights. Yet no meaningful action has been taken.”
The MCC has called for suspension of the officers named by the family, criminal charges, and preservation of CCTV footage from the station. It also urged that Aryan’s health be assessed by an independent medical panel to ensure transparency.
India’s Supreme Court has long issued guidelines to curb custodial violence, but rights monitors say enforcement remains weak. Advocacy groups argue that minorities and marginalized communities are most vulnerable, as local police often act with little oversight.
For Aryan’s family, the demands remain straightforward: justice and accountability. “The guilty must face consequences so that public faith is restored,” Nafees said.
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