Police Summon Kashmiri Cricketer for Wearing Palestine Flag on Helmet in Jammu Match
New Delhi: Police in Jammu and Kashmir summoned local cricketer Furqan Ul Haq for questioning after a video showing him wearing a helmet bearing a Palestinian flag during a private cricket tournament in Jammu sparked online outrage.
According to The Indian Express, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday initiated a 14-day preliminary enquiry under Section 173(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita after a video circulated on social media purportedly showed Ul Haq, a resident of Pulwama district, wearing the helmet during a local league match held on the outskirts of Jammu city.
Police said the enquiry was ordered in view of the “sensitivity of the matter and its potential public order implications” and would examine the facts, the cricketer’s intent and background, and any possible linkages.
Under Section 173(3) of the BNSS, police can conduct preliminary inquiries with prior permission from a Deputy Superintendent of Police for cognizable offenses punishable by three to seven years of imprisonment.
The controversy occurred during a match of the Jammu and Kashmir Champions League at Muthi, around ten kilometres from Jammu, where Ul Haq had walked in to bat for his team, JK Eleven Kings, against Jammu Trail Blazers. A Times of India report stated some players from the opposing side objected to the helmet sticker, following which Ul Haq was sent back and did not continue in the match.
Police later called both Ul Haq and the private organisers of the tournament to Domana police station for questioning.
The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association distanced itself from the episode. “JKCA has nothing to do with this. It involves local players. Even spectators are not allowed. Police will take necessary action," JKCA official Anil Gupta told TOI.
The controversy also drew political reactions. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti expressed support for the Palestinian cause on social media. "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. A flag in the wind, bold and free, From the river to the sea," she posted on X (formerly Twitter), attaching an image of the Palestinian flag.
Sheikh Khursheed, Awami Ittehad Party MLA and brother of jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, called the police action "unjustified", according to the Times of India. He argued that expressing solidarity with Palestine should not be treated as a crime, particularly when India has consistently supported the Palestinian cause internationally.
Khursheed also pointed to Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi carrying a bag with a Palestine symbol in Parliament without facing action, saying, "If such expressions are acceptable for politicians, targeting a sportsperson for a symbolic gesture exposes selective outrage.”
However, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA RS Pathania condemned the act and called for strict action against the cricketer and match organizers, stating that such actions "emanating from Kashmir only promotes separatism," the newspaper reported.
India’s longstanding foreign policy also supports a negotiated two-state solution that envisages a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine living alongside Israel in peace.
In a reply in Parliament in December 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that India had condemned civilian casualties in the Israel Hamas conflict, called for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages, and urged a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, while also backing sustained humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.
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