In an incident that has sent shockwaves across Jammu and Kashmir, a disturbing video went viral on June 24, 2025, exposing a blatant mockery of legal procedure. A man accused of theft was paraded half-naked through the streets of Jammu with a garland of slippers, forced to sit on the bonnet of a moving police vehicle, while announcements blared from the public address system — all under the watch of the Bakshi Nagar Police.
At the center of this shameful episode stands concerned SHO, whose actions have ignited widespread outrage and raised grave concerns about abuse of power, violation of human dignity, and complete disregard for the rule of law. No officer in uniform has the license to turn policing into a medieval public spectacle. The law provides mechanisms for justice, not street parades of humiliation.
Reacting swiftly to the viral outrage, the Jammu & Kashmir Police Headquarters issued a formal order, condemning the act as:
“Unprofessional, unbecoming of members of a disciplined organization, and calls for stern departmental action.”
The official order, issued by Senior Superintendent of Police Joginder Singh, has ordered a preliminary inquiry to be conducted by the SDPO City North, Jammu, to ascertain full facts and submit findings within a week. This step confirms that the highest police authorities see this act not as ‘heroic policing’ but as a serious breach of professional conduct that tarnishes the image of law enforcement.
The media, which should have been the first to question this violation of due process, instead reduced itself to a mere amplifier of sensationalism. Not a single tough question was raised; not a single anchor challenged the legality of the parade. In their lust for views, these media houses became silent spectators to an open violation of the very democratic values they are expected to defend.
By normalizing such acts, both the police and sections of the media send a dangerous message: that mob-style humiliation can coexist with justice — a notion that deeply threatens the rule of law.
The rule of law is not a stage for public shaming. Even the worst offenders deserve their day in court, not trial by spectacle. Police must remain custodians of justice, not participants in mob-like theatrics. Allowing such incidents to normalize risks emboldening street justice and undermines the very constitution the police are sworn to uphold.
