Police call two UP men ‘bhaiye’ in FIR

MOHALI: The Punjab Police have done it again. After they addressed African people as “Negroes”, a racial slur directed against black people, the cops on October 21 named two accused hailing from Uttar Pradesh as “Do Bhaiye” in an FIR (first information report) of rape against them

The two were arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl in Derabassi on Sunday. Both were staying in a rented accommodation in Mubarikpur, Derabassi.

When a police official at Derabassi was contacted and asked why the disrespectful term was used against the two accused, he replied, “People residing and migrating from Uttar Pradesh as well as Bihar are called ‘bhaiye’. This is their identity, we call them by this name regularly.”

There are two ways to use such words. “Bhaiyya” literally means big brother and in many states is used in a respectful manner. But the same word with a slightly different pronunciation, “bhaiye”, is considered racist and crude.

A S Rai IG Patiala zone said, “It is surprising that in a modern city like Mohali, police officers are still using such kind of language. The word should not have been written. Necessary action and amendments will be done.”

Prabhu Nath of Purvanchal Welfare Association that works for migrants from UP and Bihar, said, “The cops should not have used such language.”

In the case of rape, the police were also accused of not taking the rape victim to the civil hospital, Derabassi for medical examination. The father was forced to take his daughter on a rehri when a local resident halted for help.

The IG said, “It is shocking. It is the duty of a police official to take a rape victim to hospital. Appropriate action will be taken against the defaulter.”