3 min readSrinagarMar 17, 2025 01:47 PM IST
First published on: Mar 17, 2025 at 01:47 PM IST
A video that purportedly showed a police officer kicking a woman, who was protesting after two missing men from Kulgam were found dead in recent days, has led to outrage in the Kashmir Valley and allegations of police “highhandedness” being raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly.
The J&K Police said it has taken cognisance and initiated an inquiry into the incident.
The video purportedly showed a policeman kicking a woman protester demanding an inquiry into the deaths of the two men and the disappearance of another.
Three men from Devsar in south Kashmir’s Kulgam had gone missing last month. On Thursday, the police recovered the body of one of the three from the Vaishaw stream, and on Sunday, the body of another was found. The third remains missing. The victims’ families alleged that they were murdered.
Later on Sunday, mourners protested and demanded that an inquiry be conducted. The woman protester was allegedly kicked during this.
As the video went viral, it attracted sharp reactions from political leaders in the Valley.
“Shocking and unbecoming for a policeman to kick a woman only because she was peacefully protesting against the mysterious deaths in Devsar, Kulgam. It is this highhanded behaviour from those expected to uphold the law that creates a trust deficit, alienating people even further. Request J&K Police to look into this immediately,” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti posted on X.
In another post on X, Mufti said police prevented her from visiting Kulgam and locked the gates of her house. “Once again, the gates of our house have been locked up. Such is the highhandedness that they don’t even have the courtesy to inform us. I wanted to visit Kulgam where dead bodies of two young men, who disappeared mysteriously, were finally found. What are the authorities trying to hide here?” Iltija asked.
Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone termed the police officer’s action “utterly disdainful”.
“Images of a police officer kicking the female relatives of two youths who died in Kulgam is utterly disdainful. The whole action reeks of contempt within the minds of those who are supposed to protect the masses. And this is not a rare occurrence. It is almost a daily occurrence. It is just that it escapes filming,” Lone said in an X post.
National Conference leader and MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said the “increasing number of human rights violations is deeply disturbing”.
“The tragic deaths of Riyaz and Showkat in Kulgam have left their family in unbearable grief, yet instead of compassion, they are met with brutality. The visuals of a police officer kicking the mourning women protesting for justice are disgraceful and inhumane,” Ruhullah said.
At the J&K Assembly on Monday, legislators across party lines raised the issue.
Police said they initiated an inquiry and said it would be completed in 10 days. “A video has surfaced on social media regarding a police officer’s conduct with the public in Kulgam. We have taken cognisance of yesterday’s incident and the allegations regarding the officer’s conduct. DIG SKR will enquire and submit his findings within 10 days,” the J&K police said Monday.
Screengrab from the video of the incident shared by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on X. 
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