'Model Chai Wali' Dragged And Slapped By Lucknow Cops, CCTV Footage Sparks Outrage
CCTV showing Simran Gupta being manhandled by police went viral, sparking outrage. Two officers were removed from field duty pending investigation
Simran Gupta, crowned Miss Gorakhpur in 2018 and now widely known as Uttar Pradesh's 'Model Chai Wali', has found herself at the centre of controversy—this time not for her inspiring journey from beauty queen to entrepreneur, but for allegedly being assaulted and threatened by Lucknow Police near her tea stall late at night.
CCTV footage of the incident, showing uniformed and plain-clothed officers manhandling Simran, quickly went viral, triggering a wave of outrage and public support. In response, the UP Police removed Ram-Ram Bank outpost in-charge Alok Chaudhary and constable Abhishek Kumar from field duty pending investigation.
The incident reportedly took place around 1:45am on June 9 near Adarsh Complex on Sitapur Road, where Simran runs her stall under the brand 'Model Chai Wali'. She said she was wrapping up for the day when a group of policemen—some in plain clothes—arrived in a private vehicle and began roughing her up without explanation.
Simran alleges the group included Chaudhary, constable Kumar, and a female constable, none of whom showed identification. 'They didn't ask a single question. One grabbed my phone, another held my arm and tried to push me into their vehicle. When I resisted, the female constable slapped me multiple times," she said.
She further claimed that one of her staff members was taken away and coerced into giving a false statement. 'This wasn't law enforcement—it was intimidation and extortion," Simran said, alleging the officers acted on behalf of a rival tea vendor with police backing.
Additional DCP (North) Jitendra Kumar Dubey said, 'No written complaint has been received yet, but we're reviewing the CCTV footage and appropriate action will be taken."
Following online outrage, the two accused officers were 'line attached" (removed from active duty) on Tuesday evening. Simran, however, said she and her family have since received veiled threats. 'They're warning us—stay quiet or we'll slap a case on you in six months," she said.
Who is Simran Gupta?
A graduate of Gorakhpur University, Simran began modelling after winning the Miss Gorakhpur title in 2018 and went on to feature in various fashion shows and ad campaigns. But the Covid-19 pandemic upended her plans.
After her father lost his job and she faced months of unpaid work in the electricity department, she left the position. With mounting family responsibilities, Simran turned to entrepreneurship, inspired by 'teapreneurs' like MBA Chaiwala and Graduate Chaiwali.
She started 'Model Chai Wali' in Gorakhpur in 2022 and later expanded to Lucknow, where she gained attention for combining street food with a strong personal brand, largely boosted by social media.
'I never imagined I'd sell tea, but when life gives you no choice, there's dignity in honest work," she said in a previous interview.
Gendered Policing and Public Anger
The footage, showing Simran being dragged by the collar while surrounded by men, has ignited debates around women's safety, policing standards, and abuse of power.
Activists and citizens criticised the alleged mistreatment of female entrepreneurs in public spaces. 'When a woman running a legitimate roadside business is treated like this just for being there past midnight, it speaks volumes," wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).
Simran also criticised emergency helpline response, claiming calls to 1090 and 112 were unhelpful. 'If someone with visibility like me can be treated this way, imagine women who have no platform. I've lost faith in the police—that's why I've approached the women's commission," she said.
Despite the trauma, Simran continues to operate her stall. 'They thought I'd back down. I won't. I've come too far to quit," she told reporters, demanding legal action against the officers and protection for herself and her family.
First Published:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
11 hours ago
- India Today
When terror walks free: 7/11 verdict and crisis of India's criminal justice system
Nearly two decades after the deadly 7/11 Mumbai train blasts, which killed over 180 people and injured more than 800, the Bombay High Court's decision to acquit all 12 convicted accused has sent shockwaves across the country. While judicial independence and the rule of law are the pillars of our democracy, the complete collapse of the criminal justice system in a case of this magnitude raises grave questions—not just legal, but also national September 2015, after a nine-year-long investigation led by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), a special Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court convicted 12 of 13 accused in connection with the coordinated bombings. Five were sentenced to death, seven to life imprisonment, and one was acquitted. One of the death-row convicts later died in 2021 in jail due to COVID-19. However, on 21st July 2025, the High Court ruled that the prosecution had 'utterly failed' to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt, and acquitted all 12, including the Hurdles Then, Judicial Acquittal NowThe court's observations on the unreliability of eyewitness testimonies, delayed identifications, lack of corroborative material, and doubts over the voluntariness of confessions are rooted in procedural rigour. It is worth noting that the special court found sufficient ground for conviction based on the same evidence. To summarily discard all evidence and confession-based inputs is not only unfair to the victims and the investigation but also potentially dangerous. These were not petty offenders; they were individuals linked to known terrorist organisations. To assume they will peacefully reintegrate into society is nave. On the contrary, there is a very real and chilling possibility that their release could enable them to re-establish ties with militant networks and plot future attacks under the cover of judicial Trust, Empowering TerrorThis verdict impacts more than just victims' families or police credibility; it undermines public trust in the entire criminal justice system. When justice appears denied in major terror cases, people begin to lose faith in due process, leading to calls for media trials or even extrajudicial actions, as seen in the Hyderabad rapists encounter case. This risks pushing India toward a vigilante mindset where emotion overrides judgments also weaken India's global image as a nation tough on terrorism. Actions like the Balakot strikes, Operation Sindoor, and strong declarations such as 'Any act of terror will be considered an act of war' projected strength, but the 7/11 acquittals create an impression, both domestically and abroad, that India remains a 'soft state' on agencies like the ATS and NIA, the outcome is deeply demoralizing. Years of high-risk investigation and sacrifice feel dismissed, potentially deterring future action. At a time of rising global threats, India cannot afford a justice system that weakens morale and signals impunity to its and National Security Must CoexistThis is not an argument for abandoning due process or fair trial, but a call for judicial sensitivity in cases involving national trauma and security threats. A purely procedural lens risks undermining public trust, morale, and the Supreme Court staying the Bombay High Court's acquittal in the 7/11 case on July 24, 2025, it must now re-examine the matter with a security-conscious approach. Mass-casualty terrorism cannot go unpunished, nor can suspects be freed only to rejoin militant acquittals are a wake-up call for systemic reform across investigation, prosecution, and colonial-era criminal justice system, rooted in rigid procedures and outdated evidentiary norms, is ill-equipped for modern terrorism. Terrorists exploit encrypted tools and leave little evidence, yet the system still demands traditional proofs like eyewitnesses years protecting civil liberties remains vital, blind adherence to outdated norms must not compromise justice in high-risk national security Must IntrospectThe recent acquittal compels the judiciary to engage in serious self-reflection. How can two courts, examining the same evidence, arrive at such radically different outcomes—one imposing death sentences, the other granting complete acquittals? This stark divergence raises troubling concerns about the consistency, objectivity and internal coherence of our justice delivery system. Was the evidence so ambiguous that it led to a miscarriage of justice at the trial stage? Or does this contradiction reflect deeper issues, such as subjective judicial interpretation or the sway of elite legal advocacy?The involvement of Dr. S. Muralidhar, former Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court and now Senior Advocate, in representing two terror-accused adds complexity. While fair legal representation is a fundamental right, the participation of a former top judge raises ethical and institutional concerns. His stature could unintentionally influence judicial peers or affect how proceedings are perceived. Even without legal impropriety, such involvement in high-stakes cases calls for regulatory scrutiny toensure judicial processes remain above reproach, both in law and in public perception, especially in matters of national Reforms NeededTo protect India's internal security and ensure justice in terrorism cases, judicial reform and institutional introspection are essential. The criminal justice system comprises of the police, prosecution, and judiciary. While courts often question the competence of investigators and prosecutors, they too must be held accountable, especially in high-stakes terror trials and sensitive criminal investigative agencies like the ATS and state intelligence wings, though rooted in colonial-era policing, have tried to keep pace with changing technology like electronic surveillance, cyber forensics, and multilingual intelligence, the judiciary must now catch up to ensure these technological advances result in effective convictions and timely like the UAPA, MCOCA, and CrPC are evolving to address encrypted data, foreign handlers, and proxy warfare. Yet, judicial delays, inconsistent rulings, and external influences continue to hinder must include specialized training not only for investigators but also for judges and prosecutors in national security law to help balance civil liberties with national interest. Simultaneously strengthening witness protection and forensic protocols is equally crucial. Eyewitnesses mostly succumb to threats even from big criminals, not to mention terrorists having support from our neighbouring country. While the investigative and legal frameworks are adapting, the judiciary must evolve in parallel to preserve coherence, credibility, and integrity in India's fight against isn't about overriding judicial independence, but aligning it with modern security needs. Justice cannot function in isolation, blind to its consequences. The 7/11 acquittals are more than a legal outcome; they test India's institutional the Supreme Court staying the High Court's order, it must now revisit the case not just in legal terms, but in the spirit of national accountability. Can a system that finds no one guilty for Mumbai's deadliest train attack truly claim to have delivered justice?India must ensure its justice system is not only fair and impartial, but alert, modern, and strong enough to face any challenge, including terrorism. The time to introspect is now.(Ashok Kumar is a Retd IPS officer and former DGP of Uttarakhand. He is presently serving as Vice Chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana, Rai, Sonipat, Haryana.)- Ends(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Must Watch
Scroll.in
21 hours ago
- Scroll.in
Reimagining family: A queer demand
As discussions on non-heterosexual relationships have become increasingly visible in India, and while the claim of LGBTQ+ marriage was thrust into the spotlight from some quarters in the last two years, another notion has also been raised as perhaps the most inclusive option available for LGBTQ+ people in their multiple lived realities – the 'chosen family'. Over time, the heterosexual family has been accepted as the primary site of social reproduction. Indeed, it is the structural template and norm for social organising, control and conduct. It is considered the legitimate, 'typical' framework in the general imagination. A typical family is considered to be an exclusive social unit within which members who are related to each other by blood or marriage co-reside. Broadly, they are either nuclear or extended/joint in composition, and for the most part, reinforce a patriarchal hierarchy. Given its dominance in the imagining of social order, the family is the fulcrum around which individuals within it are supposed to receive protection by the law. And, in this imagination, the family is too frequently quick to demarcate who it is not for: members who are victims of abusive relatives or partners, persons with disabilities, the elderly, non-normative women, and the queer. In this regard, the family also holds a multitude of realities and embodies startling contradictions. For instance, it is, on the one hand, an infrastructure of support and care. On the other hand, it is a vastly overlooked site of violence. Family violence There are numerous, almost daily reports of horrific natal or marital family violence: a six-year- old murdered by his father, a woman murdered by her father, another woman beating her six-year-old niece to death, a man killing his wife after a heated argument, a woman being brutalised and killed by her father-in-law. Each of these reports reveal a nexus to the stifling nature of the typical family. Even when understood as an infrastructure of care, the family is often exclusively for those who abide by prescribed gender norms. All too often, those who are seen to defy gender or other family-specific norms are made outcasts, disowned and even brutalised. It is these marginalised, non-normative persons who are ousted from the family, under the guise of preservation of its sanctity, through violence exhibited as confinement, beatings, murders and rape. As such, several non-normative persons are cast out. Some are fortunate to find or forge chosen families, which become their safe havens, often life-saving for many. In India, individuals from LGBTQ+ communities specifically face intense violence at the hands of their natal families, so much so that the High Court of Kerala recently recognised them as 'sites of abuse' for LGBTQ+ persons. This violence was amplified during the Covid-19 pandemic; one individual's family attempted to immolate them. As a result, several LGBTQ+ youth were forced to flee from their natal families during the nationwide lockdown and seek refuge in shelter homes. There, too, they were not always able to find safety. The only safe spaces were their chosen families. Yet, due to the lack of legal recognition, chosen family members were unable to make decisions on behalf of each other in medical emergencies during the pandemic. This is a reality that has long existed and persists today. Far-fetched claim? While the claim for legal recognition of chosen families has been most visibly articulated by queer-trans communities, it is not a claim that is exclusive to them. In reality, it serves the needs of all non-normative people – persons with disabilities, the elderly, victims of abuse, and non-normative women. What is the substance of the claim? In essence, it asks: if a network of persons provides the same care, support and safety as a conventional family is supposed to, why can it not be referred to as one, and indeed, recognised in law as a family? Is this far-fetched? Indeed not. Examples exist of laws at the national, state and municipal levels that envision a far more inclusive notion of family than has been conventionally defined. A salient example of this is a law which establishes that (i) two or more persons who (ii) 'consider themselves to be a family' but are (iii) 'not related by blood closer than would bar marriage' and are (iv) 'in a relationship of mutual support, caring and commitment' can form and register a domestic partnership. Mutual support, specifically, is envisaged as each person's contribution 'in some fashion, not necessarily equally or financially, to the maintenance and support of the domestic partnership'. Such a vision recognises these relationships as equal to a family (and domestic partners equal to spouses) by granting them equal rights in nearly every regard: visitation in healthcare and correctional facilities, guardianship rights in relation to schools, employment health and other fringe benefits, medical insurance, and parental leave. Love, care and support Laws such as this recognise that the experience of a family – of love, care and support – is not and should not be confined to a singular idea of the family. The claim for legal recognition of chosen families is not intended to dismantle the traditional family, but instead to expand the ambit of the family beyond its current imagination so that the concerns of the most marginal amongst us are also addressed. In doing so, not just those in coupledom, but all people who live in non-normative arrangements – LGBTQ+ and beyond – can find a satisfactory response in the law. To be sure, such a broadened imagination of the family is not unheard of in India – customary practices such as the maitri karar were used by different- and same-sex couples alike to enter into live-in relationships, while structures like hijra gharanas also posit a unique family dynamic. It has been a year since the Indian government consulted members of the LGBTQ+ community to seek their views on what law reform was essential to address their concerns. Some of us canvassed for the chosen family to be recognised in Indian law as a measure that would go a long way in supporting the queer community in all its diversity. Hopefully, this submission has reached the High-Powered Committee established pursuant to the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. And even more hopefully, it finds clear amplification in the committee's final report and concerted action by the powers that be. If not, only a sliver of our community's needs will be met.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Netflix's ‘cult' pastor Robert Shinn's home raided in sex-trafficking probe: Who is the viral TikTok preacher?
Federal agents raided a California house on July 27 as part of an investigation into sex trafficking allegations and other serious criminal activities. Robert Shinn, the man behind Netflix's controversial docuseries Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, is at the centre of the probe. The property in question, located in Tujunga, is partially owned by the preacher. According to the report by the Los Angeles Times, several people working at the property were detained by police on Friday. Also read: Dancing for the Devil – The 7M TikTok Cult review: A creepy pastor brainwashes social media influencers in Netflix's aggravating shock-doc According to the report, agents from the FBI, IRS, US Postal Service, and Department of Labor served warrants on multiple counts to the staff during the early morning of Friday, July 25. These included charges of 'sex trafficking, money laundering, mail fraud, tax evasion, and COVID-19-related fraud,' according to the outlet. In footage from KTLA, at least six individuals were seen being handled by police in handcuffs, and one woman was holding a child. It is yet to be revealed who exactly is part of the investigation. For those who can recall, this is the same house shown in the Netflix docuseries that aired earlier this year and raked in millions of views, going viral for its claims accusing Shinn of running a 'cult' disguised as a talent management firm and religious group. While more details on the incident are yet to be reported, one witness, according to the outlet, heard a flash-bang grenade go off around 6 a.m. Also read: Astronomer's massive paycheck for Gwyneth Paltrow revealed: How much did the company pay Coldplay frontman's ex-wife for crisis playbook deal? Robert Shinn, a self-proclaimed pastor who founded Shekinah Church in 1994. This is the same person who also created 7M Films in 2021, a management company for TikTok dancers. According to the documentary, many dancers were recruited through the firm but were later forced into the Shekinah Church and pressured to cut off contact with their families. Those who were once associated with 7M were featured in the documentary and accused Shinn of manipulation, spiritual abuse to financial exploitation and even sexual assault. According to dancer, Aubrey Fisher, the pastor forced him to give up to 70% of his income to the church, including what he described as 'man of God' fee. Another, Melanie Goldman, said she once witnessed several girls 'screaming at the top of their lungs' inside the church. There is yet another story of a dancer who went viral in 2022 with an emotional Instagram video. Melanie Wilking was heard crying and pleading to her sister Miranda, who she said was 'no longer in control' of her life. The sisters had grown popular on TikTok before Miranda joined 7M and stopped speaking to each other when Melanie left the group. However, they have since reconciled. Despite the backlash and scrutiny, Shinn has denied all claims of abuse or wrongdoing. According to him, both the church and 7M are different entities. Back in 2022, he even filed a defamation lawsuit against several former members who publicly referred to his organisation as a cult. In the Netflix documentary, Shinn's legal team stated that no criminal charges have been filed against him. However, now, the federal raid suggests law enforcement is looking into the allegations more seriously. As of now, the investigation is ongoing, and federal officials say they are continuing to collect information. No charges have been filed yet
