Jammu and Kashmir police initiated an investigation following a viral video showing officers humiliating a theft suspect. The man was paraded half-naked, with hands tied, and a garland of shoes. The incident sparked outrage online, with many criticising the legality and ethics of the police’s actions.
The Jammu and Kashmir police have ordered a probe after a video went viral on social media, showing the cops of the Bakshi Nagar Police station parading a man, accused of stealing money, in a humiliating manner. The man was stripped of clothes to the waist, handcuffed and made to wear a shoe garland in full public view.
The accused was then made to sit on the bonnet of the police jeep, which was followed by cheers of joy from the public and police as they paraded him, and he kept his head down.
The video sparked sharp reactions on social media, with many questioning the legality and ethics of the police action and some even terming it “jungle raj”.
Jammu’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Joginder Singh condemned the incident and ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter.
As per a report in PTI, the accused is a resident of Kashmir and was allegedly under the influence of drugs when he was arrested. The cops had chased him after a man identified him as the thief who had stolen his Rs 40,000 a few days back.
The man then confronted the accused, who allegedly retaliated by attacking the man with a knife and injuring him, the SHO said.
He then tried to escape, after which cops began chasing him. The SHO said even local youths joined the chase. He said when he was caught, these people reportedly tied his hands with a rope and placed a garland of footwear around his neck.
Several bystanders raised slogans in support of the police team, who seemingly approved of the public shaming.
SSP, Jammu, Joginder Singh said the action of the police personnel was “unprofessional, unbecoming of the members of a disciplined organisation”, and calls for a stern departmental action.
“In order to ascertain actual facts, a preliminary enquiry is hereby ordered and entrusted to SDPO (Sub-divisional police officer) City North, Jammu, who will enquire into the matter and submit his findings to this office within a week’s time positively,” the SSP said in an order.
National Convener of the Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association, Nasir Khuehami, strongly condemned the action.
“Police are not mobs. They are the custodians of the law. The duty of an SHO is to investigate, not adjudicate to uphold justice, not to dispense punishment through public spectacle,” he said on X.
Khuehami further said that “such crude displays of ‘instant justice’ erode public trust, delegitimise the institution, and push our democracy one step closer to the abyss of lawlessness.”
Some netizens tagged Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, DGP Nalin Prabhat and the National Human Rights Commission, demanding accountability.
