A video of a cop thrashing nine men with a baton inside a room in Uttar Pradesh went viral on social media, generating criticism against police brutality amid protests over the derogatory comments made by former BJP spokespersons regarding Prophet Mohammad.

On Friday, several parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand saw protests by demonstrators who demanded further action against Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal. Mass arrests have followed the protests and clashes in Uttar Pradesh. In a video that has now been going viral on social media, cops in Uttar Pradesh can be seen thrashing those accused of the violence.?While the location of the incident remains unclear, the video was shared on Twitter by Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi?with the caption “return gift for rioters”.

As per a report in NDTV, the video was shot two days ago in a police station in UP’s Saharanpur—the region where protests and clashes erupted after Friday prayers.?The video drew flak on social media from both ordinary netizens as well as politicians. Reacting to the video, former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav said: "Questions should be raised about such police stations... UP is No. 1 in custodial deaths, it is a leader in human rights violations and abuse of Dalits”.

Earlier, Uttar Pradesh police launched a massive crackdown on alleged 'rioters' following clashes over the remarks of the two BJP leaders against the Prophet Muhammad.?

Following the protests, several videos of police beating protesters has going viral ?across social media. Previously, a video of cops beating an allegedly underage boy who had been caught amid clashes went viral with many including journalists and activists calling out police brutality in the name of law and order. Some have alleged that the police action is targeted against the minority community.?

Over 300 people have been arrested by UP police from various districts of the state, with the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warning of strictest action against anyone trying to vitiate the atmosphere.?

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has been cracking down on criminals and riot accused, seizing or razing their properties, even before their conviction.?

On Friday Prayagraj, Saharanpur in ?Uttar Pradesh saw violent protests as demonstrators angered by the remarks against Prophet Muhammad threw stones at police personnel after congregational prayers in mosques.?