23

Jun

From George Floyd to Gaurav Kundli: The Deadly Legacy of the Chokehold

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Amitabh Srivastava

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New Delhi | Monday | 23 June 2025

In a chilling reminder of the unchecked brutality still embedded in the policing culture of developed nations, an Indian man, Gaurav Kundli, lost his life after an alleged chokehold by Australian police, raising new alarms about the global misuse of force.

Kundli, out driving with his wife, Amritpal Kaur, was reportedly engaged in a verbal argument when a police patrol intervened. According to Kaur, the police arrived without warning, pushed her husband to the ground, and pressed a foot against his neck—an action she captured on video in a state of panic. Kundli was hospitalised and died two days later.

The police claim they suspected a domestic violence situation and intervened accordingly. They also allege Kundli was intoxicated and resisted intervention, prompting the use of force. His wife, however, stated that while he was "drunk and loud," he was not violent, raising serious questions about proportionality and procedure.

The tragedy echoes the 2020 murder of George Floyd in the United States, where police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes despite his repeated cries of “I can’t breathe.” Floyd’s death sparked the global Black Lives Matter movement and catalysed calls for police reform worldwide. His killing not only exposed deep-seated racial and systemic biases but also shifted the political climate in the U.S., contributing to Donald Trump’s election loss.

Under Joe Biden’s administration, Chauvin was publicly tried and convicted, and the U.S. took steps to limit the use of chokeholds, with many jurisdictions banning them outright. But critics fear a regression. With Trump’s possible return and his tendency to dismantle Biden-era reforms, there's growing concern that these dangerous tactics may once again gain legitimacy.

Article at a Glance
The tragic death of Gaurav Kundli, an Indian man who allegedly died from a chokehold by Australian police, highlights ongoing issues of police brutality in developed nations. Kundli was involved in a verbal dispute when police intervened, reportedly using excessive force, which his wife captured on video. While police claimed he was intoxicated and resisted arrest, his wife contended he was not violent. This incident echoes the 2020 murder of George Floyd in the U.S., which sparked global calls for police reform. Although Australia has generally banned chokeholds, Queensland recently allowed the use of the Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint in certain situations, raising concerns about misuse. In India, police brutality remains prevalent, with little reform despite Supreme Court directives. The need for accountability and meaningful change in policing practices is urgent across nations, as unchecked force continues to threaten lives.

Recent incidents, including the public handcuffing and forced deportation of an Indian student in the U.S., suggest that the excessive use of force—especially against minorities—remains far from eliminated.

Australia, unlike the U.S., has generally banned chokeholds. But in a concerning development, Queensland temporarily overturned its ban on the Lateral Vascular Neck Restraint (LVNR), commonly known as the “sleeper” chokehold, in 2023. Originally outlawed after a 12-month review in April of that year, the ban was later "clarified" to allow use of LVNR in dangerous situations but not in routine policing.

Queensland Police justified the update as necessary for officer safety, under pressure from the Queensland Police Union. But the blurred lines between “routine” and “dangerous” create a grey zone in which misuse can flourish, possibly leading to tragedies like Kundli’s.

The Indian context isn’t much more reassuring. Though Indian police do not typically employ the chokehold, their treatment of suspects has often been harsh, bordering on extrajudicial punishment. Senior Supreme Court advocate Ashish Kumar remarked, “India is not untouched by the colonial mindset, no matter what the rhetoric suggests.”

He added: “My basic objection to the chokehold is that it represents punishment before conviction—unacceptable in any rule-of-law society.” While India may not have institutionalised chokeholds, the physical mistreatment of detainees and the use of brute force remain rampant.

Despite Supreme Court directives for police reform—especially those proposed in the Prakash Singh case—little has changed in terms of legislation or implementation. The British-era Indian Police Act of 1861 still governs law enforcement in most of the country.

Officers who attempted reform, such as former DGP Amod K. Kanth, were marginalised by political interests. The result is a system where change is sporadic and often reversed before it takes root.

There are other concerning signs. In recent months, human rights lawyers in Delhi have reported a rise in juveniles being shot in the foot by Delhi Police—apparently to disable rather than arrest. This troubling trend reportedly began under the tenure of current Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora. If accurate, it signals a disturbing turn toward “punishment policing,” where force replaces due process.

Worse still, India has seen cases where suspected illegal migrants—both Bangladeshis and Rohingyas—have been expelled without proper checks. In one recent incident, Indian nationals were mistakenly deported to Bangladesh by Maharashtra Police and had to be repatriated after diplomatic intervention.

The cumulative message from these cases is clear: from developed to developing nations, policing practices urgently need reform. Whether it’s Australia, the U.S., or India, law enforcement agencies must be held accountable for the use of force, and policy reforms must translate into real change on the ground.

Until then, tragedies like Gaurav Kundli’s will continue to remind us that the line between security and state-sanctioned violence is far too easy to cross—and far too difficult to walk back from.

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