Srinagar, March 17 —A viral video showing a policeman kicking a female protester in Kulgam was raised in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Monday, with lawmakers demanding that the House condemn the incident and take action against the officer.
The woman was part of a protest seeking justice into the mysterious deaths of two tribal youth, who, along with a relative, went missing last month and were later found dead.
As the footage spread across social media, citizens widely condemned the police action.
Meanwhile, MLA Surankote Choudhary Muhammad Akram brought up the incident in the Assembly, urging the House to denounce it.
“One of our sisters was kicked by a police officer in Kulgam. The entire House should condemn it,” he said.
His remarks led to a heated response, with legislators from both the ruling NC-Congress alliance and the opposition PDP demanding accountability.
NC MLAs Javed Choudhary, Mian Mehar Ali, Javaid Mirchal, and Zaffar Ali Khatana attempted to reach the well of the House but were stopped by marshals.
NC’s Nazir Gurezi questioned the police’s authority, asking, “Is this a police state? Can police shoot and arrest anyone? Is there no law for them?”
As protests continued, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather assured the legislators that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would address their concerns.
“The Chief Minister is in the House, and he is listening. He will address the issue,” Rather said.
Earlier, Abdullah told the assembly that he had no control over the police when legislators raised concerns about the recent lathi charge on protesting daily wage employees of the Jal Shakti department.