The Uttar Pradesh Police were left red-faced once again after a video showing the cops brutally torturing a minor went viral on social networking sites on Saturday.

An embarrassed police administration suspended the in-charge of the police outpost where the minor was reportedly subjected to third-degree torture. An inquiry was ordered.

According to reports, police in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj district, about 300 kilometres from here, had detained two minors in connection with a theft at Uska village in the district a few days ago.

The minors were kept at the Mujuri police outpost in the district illegally for several days and were subjected to brutal torture by the police in order to force them to admit to the theft, reports said.

The police brutality came to light after a video showing the torture of one of the minors went viral on social networking sites.

The video shows two cops standing on two sides of a bamboo stick, which was kept on the legs of the minor. The cops are seen standing on the stick at regular intervals. The piercing cries of the minor could be heard each time the cops stood on the stick.

The incident came on a day when another SHO was suspended in Kanpur Dehat district of the state on similar charges. There too, the cops tortured a minor detained on suspicion of theft.

Earlier also, the state police had drawn criticism for using third-degree methods to extract confessions from alleged offenders.