In a press statement, People’s Watch Executive Director Henri Tiphagne said it was an appalling statement in a country where freedom of expression and opinion was upheld as a fundamental right.

He asked what the Association would have to say about police parading ‘alleged criminals’ before the media many times even before an FIR was registered.

“Have you verified the existence of the CCTV footage at the police stations?. Why have you not verified the reasons behind keeping two juveniles in the police station under custody?. Does the Association not know that the victims, in this case, belong to various communities, including SC/ST, and some of them were selectively abused by the officials using their caste?,” Mr. Tiphagne asked.