Public Parade of Theft Accused in Jammu Sparks National Outcry, NHRC Complaint Filed

SRINAGAR: A public parade of a theft accused in Jammu, where he was allegedly garlanded with slippers and made to sit shirtless on a moving police vehicle, has triggered sharp condemnation across the country. Eleven lawyers, including advocates from the Supreme Court and High Courts of Delhi, Patna, and Jammu and Kashmir, have filed a formal complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), calling the incident a “gross violation of human dignity and constitutional safeguards.”

The complaint, led by Nikhil Padha, an advocate at the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court and founder of the group Human Rights and Harmony, points to at least two recent episodes of alleged police misconduct — one in Gangyal on June 11, and the second in Bakshi Nagar on June 24.

The most recent case involves a 24-year-old man, reportedly from Kashmir, who was arrested on theft charges from the premises of a government hospital in Jammu. He was allegedly garlanded with shoes, stripped shirtless, tied up, and paraded on the bonnet of a police vehicle. Videos of the incident went viral on social media, drawing outrage and prompting comparisons with previous custodial abuse cases.

The group of signatories in the NHRC petition includes Supreme Court lawyers Sonal Gupta and Reetik Jasrotia, Delhi High Court advocates Namita Chhabra and Padamja Sharma, Patna High Court advocate Rameez Rena, and several others from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Their joint complaint to NHRC Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian said:
“These actions, widely circulated through media and social platforms, constitute a gross violation of human rights, the right to dignity, and established jurisprudence on custodial rights under Indian law.”

The complaint further alleges that instead of following lawful procedures, police are turning to public humiliation as a form of “performative punishment,” undermining the foundational principles of justice and constitutional order.

Meanwhile, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the Hurriyat Conference and the Valley’s chief cleric, also issued a strongly-worded statement. “Is this how Kashmiris will be treated in their own land? Stripped of human dignity! Paraded and shamed!” he wrote on social platform X, accusing the police of targeting individuals based on their region and religion. He compared the incident to the 2017 Budgam case where a Kashmiri civilian was tied to an army jeep by Major Gogoi and paraded through villages. “It’s a shame on the system and mindset,” the Mirwaiz said, demanding action against the perpetrators.

Responding to the backlash, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu Joginder Singh has ordered a departmental inquiry into the June 24 incident. Police sources say that the officer involved may face suspension pending the outcome of the investigation.

The National Human Rights Commission is yet to issue a formal response to the complaint. However, the growing chorus of voices — from human rights advocates to political and religious leaders — suggests that the issue is unlikely to die down soon.