The Crossbill News Desk
Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have launched an investigation after a disturbing video surfaced showing a Kashmiri man, accused of theft, being assaulted and publicly humiliated by Jammu police in a busy market in the city on June 24.
The incident has drawn parallels to a 2017 episode in which a Kashmiri man was tied to an army vehicle and paraded through Budgam district.
In the latest case, a video widely circulated on social media shows two uniformed policemen dragging the suspect—his hands tied behind his back—from the rear of a police vehicle. In the presence of Bakshi Nagar station house officer (SHO) Azad Manhas, the man is hoisted onto the vehicle’s bonnet.
The SHO is seen prodding the man with a baton and shoving him as he tries to force him to sit upright and display his face. A loudspeaker mounted on the vehicle broadcasts a message calling the man a “professional thief.”
According to police, the man allegedly robbed someone outside a hospital on June 6. On Tuesday, the victim spotted him in the market and demanded his money back.
Police said the suspect tried to flee after stabbing the man, prompting a chase by locals and police. After being apprehended, the suspect was allegedly beaten by bystanders—with some police personnel reportedly participating—and later stripped of his shirt and forced to wear a garland of shoes.
SHO Manhas claimed the man belonged to a recently busted gang and was under the influence of drugs, though he provided no evidence to support the latter claim. No medical test had been conducted at the time of the incident.
In response to the public backlash, Jammu’s senior superintendent of police Joginder Singh ordered an internal inquiry, promising it would be completed within a week.
“Jammu Police firmly believes in upholding rule of law and at the same time any non-professional tendency/approach on part any officer/official will not encouraged and desired departmental/legal action will be taken against such delinquent members,” Singh’s order said.
The video has sparked widespread outrage, with political leaders and civil society condemning what they described as a serious breach of due process and human dignity.
Awami Ittehad Party legislator Sheikh Khursheed said, “Law enforcement must never become a tool for spectacle or humiliation. Justice must be delivered by courts, not mobs.”
Meanwhile, the Bajrang Dal, a right-wing group, staged a protest in support of the SHO and urged police to cancel the inquiry.
The incident echoes a similar episode earlier this year when another theft suspect in Jammu had his head shaved and “thief” scrawled on his forehead before being paraded in public. That episode too took place in the presence of police officers and had drawn criticism for encouraging vigilante justice.
These recurring instances have prompted renewed concerns over custodial misconduct and extra-legal punishments in the region, raising difficult questions about accountability and the role of law enforcement.
The incident has drawn parallels to a 2017 episode in which a Kashmiri man was tied to an army vehicle and paraded through Budgam district.
In the latest case, a video widely circulated on social media shows two uniformed policemen dragging the suspect—his hands tied behind his back—from the rear of a police vehicle. In the presence of Bakshi Nagar station house officer (SHO) Azad Manhas, the man is hoisted onto the vehicle’s bonnet.
The SHO is seen prodding the man with a baton and shoving him as he tries to force him to sit upright and display his face. A loudspeaker mounted on the vehicle broadcasts a message calling the man a “professional thief.”
According to police, the man allegedly robbed someone outside a hospital on June 6. On Tuesday, the victim spotted him in the market and demanded his money back.
Police said the suspect tried to flee after stabbing the man, prompting a chase by locals and police. After being apprehended, the suspect was allegedly beaten by bystanders—with some police personnel reportedly participating—and later stripped of his shirt and forced to wear a garland of shoes.
SHO Manhas claimed the man belonged to a recently busted gang and was under the influence of drugs, though he provided no evidence to support the latter claim. No medical test had been conducted at the time of the incident.
In response to the public backlash, Jammu’s senior superintendent of police Joginder Singh ordered an internal inquiry, promising it would be completed within a week.
“Jammu Police firmly believes in upholding rule of law and at the same time any non-professional tendency/approach on part any officer/official will not encouraged and desired departmental/legal action will be taken against such delinquent members,” Singh’s order said.
The video has sparked widespread outrage, with political leaders and civil society condemning what they described as a serious breach of due process and human dignity.
Awami Ittehad Party legislator Sheikh Khursheed said, “Law enforcement must never become a tool for spectacle or humiliation. Justice must be delivered by courts, not mobs.”
Meanwhile, the Bajrang Dal, a right-wing group, staged a protest in support of the SHO and urged police to cancel the inquiry.
The incident echoes a similar episode earlier this year when another theft suspect in Jammu had his head shaved and “thief” scrawled on his forehead before being paraded in public. That episode too took place in the presence of police officers and had drawn criticism for encouraging vigilante justice.
These recurring instances have prompted renewed concerns over custodial misconduct and extra-legal punishments in the region, raising difficult questions about accountability and the role of law enforcement.
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