New Delhi: Gujarat Police thrashed a Muslim man in full public view and in broad daylight on Saturday (September 5) in Bhavnagar city. A video of the incident went viral, in which the man, later identified as Faizal, cries in pain and begs for mercy while police rains lathis down on him.Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Gujarat has issued a legal notice to the chief secretary, additional chief secretary, director general of police and superintendent of police, Gujarat, citing the man’s torture.“There are procedures and laws for police to take action against alleged criminals – they can take people into custody, investigate crimes and work under the law. They cannot engage in public parading and custodial atrocity and violate court rulings on how to conduct investigations,” PUCL organising secretary, Gujarat, Mujahid Nafees, told The Wire.The PUCL notice says Faizal (also known as Khatki Rafikbhai Lakhani) was picked up for questioning by Bhavnagar police, led by Nilambaug Police Station Inspector D.P. Unadkat, and taken to the spot of the crime where the torture unfolded.Nafees shared a copy of the notice to the state government. As per the account, also seen in the viral video, Faizal is bound with ropes to a pillar, said to be at a bus stand in Bhavnagar, and also to a bench and the police’s own vehicle, so that the beating can continue without the other policeman having to hold him up.At least four policemen are seen in the video, beating the lone Faizal. Reports say he allegedly killed a woman named Kajal Ben, his partner for the past eight years.“Instead of doing any investigation, the police…in full view of the public, tied the accused with ropes and brutally and ruthlessly struck him more than a 100 times with sticks, with more than 40 blows falling in the first 4 minutes of this act of barbaric and unconstitutional violence by the Bhavnagar Police,” says the notice.“A stick was placed between his legs and he was then further beaten and then made to crawl on his knees while being tied up with ropes and dragged. He was beaten until his clothes tore and he fell to the floor and yet the merciless assault continued, and he was held up with ropes to be beaten further,” the notice says.The notice refers to the Supreme Court of India judgmemtn in D.K.Basu Vs. State of West Bengal (1977), which lays down the norms for custody and interrogation and rights of an accused in such situations.It points out that in May 2026, Gujarat Police itself directed police across districts to take strict disciplinary action against officers in cases of reported human rights violations. It also says that the police perpetrated the violence against Faizal and that the state officials, including senior police officers, cannot became a “mute spectator” to it, thereby facilitating such violence.PUCL has sought action against the errant policemen by their department, including criminal charges.