Srinagar: A video of a police officer kicking and allegedly abusing a group of female protesters in south Kashmir plunged the J&K assembly into chaos on Monday (17 March) with all the political parties, except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), demanding a probe into the incident.
Following the commotion in the assembly, the J&K police said it has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The video, which was shot at a protest site on National Highway-44 near Vessu village of Qazigund on Sunday, showed a deputy superintendent of police kicking and allegedly abusing a group of women protesters, who were staging a demonstration against the mysterious deaths of two brothers from Kulgam. They belonged to the Gujjar Nomadic Tribe (NT).
Shocking & unbecoming for a policeman to kick a woman only because she was peacefully protesting against the mysterious deaths in Devsar Kulgam. It is this high handed behaviour from officers expected to uphold law that creates a trust deficit alienating people even further.… pic.twitter.com/gNnINibcBR
— Iltija Mufti (@IltijaMufti_) March 16, 2025
The bodies of Riyaz Ahmed Bajad and his brother Showkat Ahmad Bajad were recovered by officials from the Vishaw river in Kulgam district last week. Their families have alleged that the bodies carried torture marks.
However, officials have so far ruled out any foul play in the matter. A third person, Mukhtar Ahmad Awan, who was accompanying the two brothers when the trio were missing on February 13, is still missing.
Also read: Bodies of Two Missing Brothers Recovered in Kulgam; Family Allege Torture, Foul-Play
On Monday, as the assembly proceedings started, Surankote legislator Choudhary Muhammad Akram demanded action against the police officer who was caught misbehaving with the protesters on camera a day earlier in the Qazigund area.
“Two bodies have been recovered (in Kulgam). It [mysterious disappearance of civilians] is happening both in Kathua and Kashmir, and investigations are not being carried out. One of our sisters has been kicked by a police officer. It is a humanitarian issue. I urge the house to condemn this,” said Akram.
National Conference (NC) legislators too stood up from their seats and protested against the police action.
“Are we living in a police state? Is there no law for police officers in Jammu and Kashmir? Is it that whatever the police want to do, whosoever they want to kill or jail, they can do? Is there no law? Strict action should be taken against the officer,” said NC legislator Nazir Ahmad Gurezi, demanding a probe into the incident.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather urged the members to calm down, saying that he has taken note and the chief minister would look into the issue, “It has become a norm that people in J&K are disappearing and then their dead bodies are turning up. The situation is very bad,” NC legislator Qaiser Jamshed Lone told the house.
In Kathua, at least five civilians were found dead in two incidents over the last month after they mysteriously disappeared. The involvement of militants is being probed in both the incidents.
Following the protest in the assembly, the J&K police said that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident in Vessu.
“A video has surfaced on the social media regarding a police officer’s conduct with the public in Kulgam. We have taken cognisance of the yesterday’s incident and the allegations regarding the officers conduct. DIG SKR will enquire and submit his findings within 10 days,” Kashmir zone police said in a post on X.
On Sunday, after Showkat’s body was recovered in Kulgam, the aggrieved families had turned up on the highway in Vessu and staged a demonstration seeking a judicial probe headed by a sitting judge of the J&K high court.
However, instead of pacifying the protesters, the police allegedly resorted to highhandedness, which intensified the anger among the tribal community. Some protesters also alleged that their smartphones were snatched by police personnel.
Later, deputy inspector general of south Kashmir, Javaid Iqbal Matoo arrived at the spot and pacified the protesters, assuring them that action will be taken against the guilty.
The incident of alleged excesses by the police officer was condemned by the ruling NC, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other political outfits who demanded action against the errant officer.
PDP leader Iltija Mufti alleged that her house was locked and she was prevented by security forces from meeting the affected tribal families in Kulgam.
