I have heard first-hand reports from people that saw a little of it.
Police beating people with lathis happened in many places all across the country, where people were insisting on breaking curfew, until people got the message. It’s also not terribly uncommon for the police to use such measures, especially where curfews are involved. I see no reason to doubt that it has been happening.
In India there's never a shortage of people (police or civilians) beating each other with sticks. Happened long before COVID and will continue long after.
One of the most eye-opening things I've ever seen was the crush of people trying to get on the general admission train car being beaten back with sticks before the train even stopped moving.
As a foreigner who has spent time working in India over several years, I've seen it happen multiple times. Each time I was with India colleagues, and nobody batted an eyelid. It seems to be pretty "normal".
