The entire leftist lobby has sprung into action to defend the ‘human rights’ of Faisal, who was arrested after killing his live-in partner, Kajal Baraiya in the most inhuman manner. Faisal beat Kajal to death in broad daylight, and his act was recorded on a CCTV camera.
However, what triggered the leftists is not the brutal killing of an innocent woman, but the consequent police action against Faisal. An advocate named Pranay Maheshwari has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) against what he described as “the brutal assault and harassment” carried out by Bhavnagar Police against Faisal.
“I have filed an official complaint with @India_NHRC against the brutal assault and harassment carried out by Bhavnagar Police, Gujarat, upon a man allegedly accused of murder,” Maheshwari wrote on X, terming the police action against Faisal as “state-sponsored brutality and a grotesque abuse of power”.
Whenever a Muslim is found involved and arrested in connection with a crime, the leftist cabal, including leftist media portals, jumps up to defend the accused and portray him as a victim. This is a preferred tactic within leftist-Islamist ideological echo chambers. Those who maintain that ‘terrorism has no religion’ often rush to defend the accused based on their religious identity. The same tactic was repeated by the leftist ecosystem following the arrest of Faisal alias Khatki Rafikbhai Lakhani, who brutally beat his Hindu live-in partner to death in broad daylight at the Bhavnagar bus stand in Gujarat.
Unsurprisingly, leftist propaganda portal The Wire published a report titled: “Gujarat police flogs a Muslim man in broad daylight, PUCL sends legal notice to the government.”
The report by The Wire mentioned that the Gujarat Police publicly beat a Muslim man named Faisal in Bhavnagar and that a video of the incident went viral on social media. The report stated, “A video of the incident went viral, in which the man, later identified as Faizal, cries in pain and begs for mercy while police rain lathis down on him.”
The report conveniently omits to mention why Faisal was arrested before being beaten by the police, nor does it refer to what he did at the Bhavnagar bus stand prior to his arrest. The report gives the impression that the police randomly picked up Faisal and began thrashing him in public.
Citing a notice sent by the Gujarat branch of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) to officials, including the Chief Secretary and police officers, The Wire reported that the Bhavnagar police took Faisal into custody for questioning and then brought him to the crime scene, where he was subjected to ‘torture.’
Here is a breakdown of the malicious distortion of the incident by both The Wire and the PUCL. The Bhavnagar police didn’t arrest Faisal in a whimsical manner. A day before the incident, Faisal brutally murdered his live-in partner, Kajal Baraiya, in broad daylight at the Bhavnagar bus stand. An FIR was officially registered against Faisal based on a complaint filed by Kajal’s mother, leading to his arrest. Yet The Wire chose to omit these crucial details entirely, simply because stating the truth didn’t fit in their narrative.
Faisal Khatki and Kajal were reported to be in a relationship. Faisal, a repeat offender with criminal antecedents, had been serving time in jail and was recently released. Kajal herself helped secure Faisal’s release. However, shortly after coming out of jail, he killed her. He was arrested following the incident, and it was only then that police action took place.
None of these important details was mentioned in The Wire’s report. All that is mentioned in the report regarding Kajal’s murder by Faisal is a casual note, which reads as: “Reports say he allegedly killed a woman named Kajal Ben, his partner for the past eight years.” Despite the horrific murder of Kajal by Faisal being caught on CCTV and the existence of clear evidence, The Wire still slyly inserts the word “allegedly” in the only mention of his heinous act in its report.
What objection did the PUCL have to Faisal being beaten in public?
After the police took Faisal back to the exact spot where Kajal Baraiya was murdered and publicly flogged him, videos of the incident went viral on social media, drawing widespread praise for the Bhavnagar police. However, the NGO, the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), was rattled. The organisation issued legal notices to Gujarat’s Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, the State Police Chief, the District Police Chief, and several other officials.
Mujahid Nafees, Organisational Secretary of PUCL’s Gujarat branch, who sent the notice, stated that specific rules and procedures govern police action against accused individuals. While the police are authorised to apprehend suspects and investigate crimes, he argued, they cannot beat or torture people in public, nor can they bypass court orders.
The PUCL notice highlights that police publicly bound the accused with rope and brutally beat him without due process, maintaining this supposedly brutal and unconstitutional violence for four full minutes. The notice further stated, “Faisal was thrashed so mercilessly that his clothes tore and he collapsed, all while being bound in ropes.”
In its notice, the PUCL accused the Gujarat Police of violating its own rules and guidelines, demanding not only legal action but also a criminal investigation against the officers involved. Interestingly, the PUCL, which is lamenting over the police action on Faisal, did not even condemn Kajal’s brutal killing by him.
PUCL and Urban Naxal Activities
Let’s take a look at the history of the organisation, which referred to itself as “Dimagi Naxal’ in its editorial in September 2026. The term Dimagi Naxal was used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day address at the Red Fort in Delhi. PM Modi said that while the Indian security forces had eliminated armed Naxals on the ground, Dimagi Naxals (intellectual Naxals) continue to spread the Naxal ideology in different areas.
The Prime Minister’s remarks triggered the entire leftist cabal, including the PUCL. Leftist propagandists attacked PM Modi for using the term and referred to themselves as Dimagi Naxals to register their opposition. The Wire also provocatively titled its September bulletin editorial, “We are all Dimagi Naxals!”
Following the Cockroach Janata Party-led protest in Delhi in July 2026, similar agitations were held in other parts of the country. Posters of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam were displayed at some of these demonstrations, including Delhi, Goa, and Bengaluru.
In one such incident in Bengaluru, the police registered an FIR against a woman who had brought posters of Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, along with another poster that read, “Bengaluru Police should be removed”. The filing of the FIR drew objections from the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).
PUCL not only opposed the FIR but also claimed that not a single allegation against Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, who are facing legal trial for their involvement in the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots, had been proved. It described their arrests as illegal and argued that calling for their immediate release could not be considered a crime. However, the fact remains that the case is still before the court, and the trial has not yet concluded. No final judicial verdict has been delivered in the matter. Despite this, PUCL has described the two UAPA-accused as “scholars” and “activists.”
PUCL has consistently campaigned in support of Umar Khalid. It has published articles, organised events in his defence under the pretext of book discussions, and supported articles whitewashing his acts in publications such as The Wire. This forms part of a broader ecosystem that has repeatedly sought to portray Khalid in a sympathetic light.
In one such article, PUCL described Umar Khalid as a “political prisoner” and a revolutionary, arguing that the government had wrongly imprisoned him. At the same time, the police have stated in their chargesheet that Khalid played a significant role, along with other accused persons, in the violence that broke out in Delhi during the anti-CAA protests.
Furthermore, the organisation has also opposed action taken against individuals accused of using abusive or offensive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In October 2025, when an FIR was registered against students at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai for observing the death anniversary of G.N. Saibaba, who was accused of having ties with the Naxals, and their anticipatory bail plea was rejected, PUCL again came out in their support. The organisation criticised the court for denying them anticipatory bail.
PUCL also opposed the government’s ban on PFI
The PUCL supported the radical Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) when the central government banned it and arrested many of its members across the country. The PUCL not only opposed the arrests but also called for the ban to be lifted.
When the PFI, which aims to transform India into an “Islamic State” by 2047, was banned, the PUCL urged the government to engage in dialogue with the Islamist organisation. It argued that Muslim youth associated with the PFI should not face arrest and demanded that UAPA charges against them be dropped.
Similarly, in October 2023, when law enforcement acted against the propaganda outlet “NewsClick” over allegations involving Chinese funding networks, the PUCL stepped in to defend and support the portal. They framed the Delhi Police’s actions as unlawful and described them as a crackdown on free speech and journalistic freedom.
Now, the same organisation has raised objections over the public beating of Faisal in Bhavnagar. Yet, they remained silent regarding the innocent Hindu victims who lost their lives in the Delhi riots, just as they omitted any mention of Kajal Baraiya, who was murdered by Faisal right at the Bhavnagar bus stand. Instead, they peddled their narrative by portraying Faisal, a murderer, as the victim of police brutality.
Read the original report in Gujarati here.
