Public parade of accused raises legal, ethical concerns

With the graph of criminal activities rising in the Jammu region, recent acts of moral policing—where the J&K Police have paraded accused individuals on public roads—have sparked debate and raised significant legal and ethical concerns.

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While some argue that public shaming of alleged criminals could serve as a deterrent, others emphasise that the Constitution guarantees every individual the right to dignity, and it is the courts that must decide the fate of the accused.

Multiple incidents have surfaced where police officers were seen publicly parading accused individuals on the streets of Jammu city. A similar episode was reported from Rajouri district, where three individuals accused of theft were paraded through a marketplace.

One incident, in particular, drew widespread condemnation. On June 24, in the Bakshi Nagar area of Jammu, a theft accused—reportedly a resident of Kashmir—was paraded on top of a police jeep with his hands tied and his shirt torn. The accused had allegedly stolen Rs 40,000 from a person and injured him with a knife when confronted. The Bakshi Nagar police paraded him through the locality, prompting comparisons to a 2017 incident in Kashmir where a man was tied to an Army jeep to deter stone-pelting.

Defending the action, Station House Officer (SHO) of Bakshi Nagar Police Station, Azad Manhas, said the accused was paraded to prevent mob violence. “Locals wanted to kill the theft accused, and I was trying to calm their anger by parading him,” Manhas stated at the time.

In another incident last month, a group of criminals allegedly involved in a shooting in the Gangyal area were beaten in full public view and paraded after they reportedly threatened locals against giving statements to the police. Similarly, two youths who had allegedly snatched a gold chain after assaulting a woman were paraded barefoot in the Janipur area of Jammu.

Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, a prominent human rights lawyer, criticised the practice, calling it unconstitutional. “Public parading of accused individuals cannot be justified under the law. Those officials involved have committed an offence, and departmental action must be initiated against them,” Ahmed said. Citing Article 21 of the Constitution, he added that the fundamental right to life and personal liberty prohibits such actions.

However, some police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is growing public pressure for swift and visible action. “Cases often take months or years to conclude, and public patience has worn thin. People sometimes feel we are not doing enough, but they forget our role is limited to arresting accused individuals—justice is delivered by the courts,” said one officer. “Public parading is sometimes used to convey a sense of immediate action, though it remains a legally questionable practice,” the officer admitted.

As Jammu grapples with a rise in crimes—including drug trafficking, theft, land encroachments and cybercrime—the police find themselves walking a tightrope, balancing public expectations with constitutional and legal obligations.