Crime Today News
Many police personnel in India hold biased perceptions against Muslims, with many believing that they are “naturally prone towards committing crimes,” reveals the Status of Policing in India Report 2025: Police Torture and (Un)Accountability.
The report is a collaboration effort by Common Cause and Lokniti-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), and is based on a survey of 8,276 police personnel from 17 states and one Union Territory, supplemented by in-depth interviews with judges, lawyers, and doctors.
According to the police survey conducted as part of the report, Hindu police personnel are most likely to hold the view that Muslims are “naturally inclined towards committing crimes,” while Sikh police personnel are the least likely to share this belief. This bias is particularly prevalent among police personnel in states such as Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat, and Jharkhand.
In Delhi, police personnel were found to be the most likely to believe that Muslims are inherently criminal “to a great extent.”
Torture and targeted brutality against minorities
The report also identifies Muslims as one of the marginalized communities that are frequently subjected to police torture. Academic research cited in the report suggests that police officers employ specific torture techniques against Muslim men accused of terrorism, targeting their religious identity and masculinity as a deliberate strategy to humiliate and intimidate the broader Muslim community.
In states with strict cow slaughter laws, such as Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, police personnel demonstrated high levels of support for mob punishment in cases related to alleged violations of these laws.
Furthermore, while a significant proportion of police officers perceive Muslims as more likely to commit crimes, a considerable percentage also believe that Muslims are “likely to get justice to a great extent.”
However, the report warns that these police perceptions may be distorted by pre-existing biases and do not necessarily align with the actual experiences of Muslims in the justice system.
Disregard for the rule of law and justification of violence
The report underscores a troubling disregard for the rule of law among a significant portion of Indian police officers. Nearly one-third (28percent) of police personnel believe that the criminal justice system is too weak and slow, favoring extrajudicial measures over legal due process. Alarmingly, 38 percent of police officers feel that for minor offenses, the police should administer minor punishments instead of following legal trials.
The study further reveals a high level of acceptance of police violence within the force. 22 percent of police personnel fully agree that it is acceptable for the police to be violent towards suspects of serious crimes “for the greater good of society,” while an additional 41 percent somewhat agree.
30 percent justify the use of third-degree methods such as severe beatings or torture against suspects in serious criminal cases. Many officers justify these actions based on their belief that the public expects aggressive law enforcement and that such measures are necessary for delivering “justice.”
Discrepancies, underreporting of custodial deaths
The report uncovers major discrepancies in official records regarding custodial deaths in India. In 2020, three separate sources reported widely differing figures:
- National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB): 76 custodial deaths
- National Human Rights Commission (NHRC): 90 custodial deaths
- National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT): 111 custodial deaths
Furthermore, while NCAT data suggests that nearly 46 percent of custodial deaths in 2020 resulted from police torture, the NCRB attributed only one death in custody to injuries sustained due to physical assault.
Call for reforms
The report concludes with a strong call for institutional reforms to improve police accountability and strengthen the rule of law.
It recommends increased interaction between judicial magistrates and arrested individuals to ensure transparency in custody, along with mandatory medical examinations during police detention to detect and document evidence of torture.
Additionally, the report emphasizes the need for comprehensive and consistent data collection on police torture and custodial violence to better inform policy interventions. To address systemic issues, it advocates for enhanced training programs for police personnel, focusing on human rights, evidence-based interrogation techniques, and ethical law enforcement practices.
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