Watch our videos of police atrocities in Dhule, Maharashtra

Policemen firing to control rioters in Dhule aimed above the waist in violation of rules, new video clips with The Indian Express show.

Six Muslim men were killed by police bullets after a minor quarrel over the food bill at a roadside stall escalated into rioting in the north Maharashtra town on January 6. All the dead had injuries in the upper half of their bodies.

The video clips (see links below) show policemen ignoring people their bullets had injured. One clip shows a constable taking a self-loading rifle from his senior officer and aiming to shoot above the waist. He went through with the shot.

Video I: Dhule unmasks rioters in uniform - Part 1

Video II: Dhule unmasks rioters in uniform - Part 2

Video III: Dhule riots: Cops on rampage

Video IV: Cop fires above waist

Witnesses alleged the shooting began without warning, and that all shots were above the waist. "A constable fired three shots, one of which hit Imran Ali below his collar bone, leading to his death," said a person who was present at the scene. The Indian Express could not independently verify whether the bullet that killed Imran Ali was fired by the policeman in question.

The Maharashtra Police manual lays down a strict protocol for opening fire to disperse a mob. "If the police are going to have to resort to firing there has to be a clear and distinct warning that firing will be effective. Here too, the rule is to use minimal force. So firing must aim low and at the most threatening part of the crowd with a view not to cause fatalities but to disperse the crowd. As soon as the crowd show signs of breaking up, the firing must stop," say the police's rules on crowd dispersal.

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