The scene outside the Nashik Police Crime Branch office has become familiar. An accused is brought out, sometimes limping, sometimes held up by policemen on either side, and made to face the cameras. Then comes the line: “Nashik zilla kaydyacha balekilla (Nashik district, a fortress of law and order).”

It has happened scores of times in six months. And it is now happening elsewhere too.

Outside the Mumbra police station in Thane, accused have been filmed in similar circumstances, flanked by cops, apologising on camera for making reels that glorify gangsterism. The slogan has changed to “Thane zilla kaydyacha balekilla (Thane district, a fortress of law and order).” In Akola, the local police have been uploading their own before-and-after reels in the same format.

Said a Mumbra officer: “While we would take action against those involved in such reels earlier, the way the video is shot and the balekilla reference is from Nashik police,” he said.

Maharashtra Inspector General (law and order) Manoj Kumar Sharma told The Indian Express that no instructions had been passed to create such videos and that such acts were not encouraged.

Nashik Commissioner Sandeep Karnik makes no secret of having started the trend. The slogan, he says, came from the accused themselves. In one of the first videos to go viral, a group of youths had declared Nashik a “fortress of crime.” Police tracked them down and turned the phrase on its head. “This is where we got the slogan from. Henceforth, anyone arrested in such crimes was made to say Nashik zilla kaydyacha balekilla. That this city is a fortress of law and order,” he told The Indian Express.

Those subjected to this “walk of shame” in Nashik span a sweeping range: from alleged street-level offenders and youngsters accused of glorifying crime online to politically connected figures, among them former corporator and RPI leader Prakash Londhe and his sons, BJP functionary Mama Rajwade, and, most recently, self-styled godman Ashok Kharat facing allegations of sexually exploiting several women.

For many residents – and the police – this signals swift, exemplary justice. For critics, this is public humiliation and a violation of due process.

An analysis by The Indian Express of over 50 such videos shows that while only a few appeared on the Nashik Police’s official Instagram handle, which has nearly 70,000 followers, dozens surfaced through local news channels and private accounts. The clips largely show accused persons outside the Crime Branch office, often in visible discomfort. In some cases, they are seen on their haunches, holding their ears and apologising while repeating the slogan. Several videos are structured in a before-and-after format. The first part shows the alleged offence framed as a reel, the second shows the accused arrested, apologising, and calling Nashik “a fortress of law and order.”

Over the past decade, Nashik, with manufacturing clusters in areas such as Satpur and Ambad, has emerged as one of the fastest growing urban centres in the state. However, rapid urbanisation and the decline of stable industrial employment, have affected many families. In localities such as CIDCO, once home to industrial workers, this has been linked to a rise in crime, including gang activity among unemployed youth.

Like elsewhere, Nashik has seen the growing influence of social media, with youngsters posting reels that often glorify crime or local gang culture. To curb this trend, the Nashik Police, under Commissioner Karnik, launched a crackdown. The push intensified after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the city in October last year, following a spate of murders, and directed Karnik to take strict action against offenders irrespective of political affiliation.

Police also launched a helpline encouraging citizens to report objectionable content or anti-social activities.

Karnik told The Indian Express that youngsters were being influenced by reels made by criminals. “In some reels youngsters are seen putting up rap songs which have lyrics glorifying street crime. We want youngsters who may otherwise be influenced by such elements to see what happens to them eventually,” he said.

“We asked our cyber police to trace people who were in these reels and registered an offence in cases that are dire. These people were arrested, told to delete the particular video and upload new ones where they are seen saying how they were wrong in uploading such videos and saying ‘Nashik zilla kaydyacha balekilla’,” he said.

“When people see local politicians from any party, who otherwise try to exert their influence and indulge in criminal acts, fold their hands in these videos and call Nashik city a law and order fortress, the common man feels good,” he added.

While the initiative initially drew praise for curbing harassment of women and local criminal elements, it has since taken a controversial turn. Several instances have surfaced of accused persons allegedly being assaulted on camera and paraded publicly, with videos widely circulated online.

One such incident from the Kathada area, involving officials from the Bhadrakali police station, went viral and intensified concerns over police excesses.

In several instances, the media was invited to record what has come to be described as a “walk of shame,” with accused persons seen hobbling as they were made to chant slogans, many later alleging custodial assault.

There are legal concerns, too. Under the law, police are not permitted to use physical force, and courts routinely ask accused persons whether they have any complaints of custodial violence when produced. Legal experts say such public parading could amount to a violation of due process.

Said advocate Vijay Hiremath: “There is no legal provision where you take a video of an arrested accused in which it is apparent he has been beaten up and parade them before the people. It is illegal to do so, and courts should take cognisance of it.”

Nashik Police officials, however, deny using violence. When told that videos of accused limping suggest custodial assault, one officer said: “We are unaware…Maybe in one or two cases their slippers may have broken.”