UP cops detain wrong man over ‘name mix up’, family alleges assault

4 min readLucknowUpdated: Jul 6, 2026 02:51 PM IST

Shivraj Singh mother, speaking to the media, claimed three policemen came to their home and forcibly took her son away. (Special arrangement photos)

Sharing a first name with a wanted suspect turned into a nightmare for a 29-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur, who was mistakenly picked up by police on a non-bailable warrant and allegedly assaulted inside the station on Saturday.

Shivraj Singh’s family, in videos online, alleged he was brutally assaulted by police after being wrongfully detained and suffered serious injuries before officers discovered he was not the suspect named in the warrant.

Denying the accusation, Hamirpur Police said an inquiry has been ordered into the assault allegations. They claimed the “mix-up” occurred because he lived in the same area as another man named Shivraj, who was actually wanted in the case.

Police also claimed Shivraj’s injuries were self inflicted from hitting his hand against a window and banging his head against a wall in anger after discovering the mix up.

Additional Superintendent of Police Arvind Kumar Verma said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident and that police would review CCTV footage from cameras installed at the police station. Action against officers found responsible would be taken based on the inquiry’s findings, he said, adding that Shivraj’s condition was stable.

Locals protest

Shivraj is a resident of the Merapur locality, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Sadar Kotwali police station in Hamirpur.

The incident sparked anger among local residents, who staged a protest demanding action against the police personnel behind the alleged assault.

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The protest ended after senior officers assured the demonstrators that the allegations would be thoroughly investigated and strict action would follow if wrongdoing was established.

How the ‘mix up’ happened

According to Circle Officer, Hamirpur, Yashpal Singh, two men named Shivraj lived in the area. But the copy of the court warrant did not include the wanted man’s father’s name, he said, leading officers to the home of the wrong Shivraj. The confusion was compounded by the fact that the man they detained had previously faced five criminal cases, he said.

Singh said officers checked the man’s identity after arriving at the station and discovered that he was not the person named in the warrant.

Police claimed Shivraj became agitated over being wrongly detained and smashed a glass pane, injuring his hand. Police also claimed he banged his head. Officers said they rushed him to hospital for treatment.

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In a purported video circulating online, Shivraj, lying on a hospital bed, alleged that police took him from his home on the basis of a warrant that was not issued against him and assaulted him.

His medical report is still awaited. His family could not be reached for comment.

In another video circulating on social media, Shivraj’s mother alleged that three policemen came to their home and forcibly took her son away, claiming a court had issued a warrant against him.

She further alleged he was beaten inside the police station. “Now they are saying the warrant relates to a 2018 case and that a senior police officer had ordered them to bring him in,” she claimed.