Public shaming of thief in police custody in Jammu triggers outrage, probe ordered

Srinagar: A disturbing video showing a man accused of theft being paraded with his hands tied, shoes garlanded around his neck, and briefly made to sit on the bonnet of a moving police vehicle in Jammu city on Tuesday has sparked widespread condemnation and prompted police to initiate a departmental inquiry.

The footage, which surfaced on social media, drew sharp criticism from rights activists and citizens alike, even as some onlookers in the video were seen cheering the act. The accused was reportedly apprehended by the police earlier in the day for an alleged theft, but the subsequent public humiliation has raised serious legal and ethical concerns.

This is the second such incident in a month in Jammu city involving public shaming of crime suspects. On June 11, three men accused in a shooting incident at Gangyal Chowk were publicly thrashed by police personnel after being arrested, again drawing flak for excessive use of force and disregard for due process.

Civil society voices, including the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, reacted strongly to Tuesday’s incident. Nasir Khuehami, the national convener of the association, posted on X, “Police are not mobs. They are the custodians of the law. The duty of an SHO is to investigate, not adjudicate to uphold justice, not to dispense punishment through public spectacle.”

“Such crude display of ‘instant justice’ erodes public trust, delegitimises the institution and pushes our democracy one step closer to the abyss of lawlessness. If this is the image of policing we allow to flourish, what separates the protector from the oppressor? What separates law from vengeance?”

He said the incident reeks of medieval vigilantism rather than constitutional policing.

Reacting to the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jammu, Joginder Singh, termed the conduct of the police personnel involved as “unprofessional” and “unbecoming of members of a disciplined organisation.”

“In order to ascertain actual facts, a preliminary enquiry is hereby ordered and entrusted to SDPO (Sub-divisional police officer) City North, Jammu who will enquire into the matter and submit his findings to this office within a week’s time positively,” the SSP said in an order.

Station House Officer (SHO) Bakshi Nagar Police Station SHO Azad Manhas claimed the thief, a resident of Kashmir, was found under the influence of drugs and caught after a scuffle and a long chase.

Legal experts argue that such public displays amount to extra-judicial punishment and are a clear violation of constitutional guarantees and Supreme Court directives. The incident has reignited debate over custodial conduct and the increasing tendency of law enforcement to resort to performative justice.