Jammu police on Tuesday garlanded a Kashmiri man accused of theft with shoes, tied him to a car’s bonnet and paraded him through Bakshi Nagar, triggering allegations of meting out street justice and targeting the individual for his Kashmiri identity.

The incident brought back agonising memories of an army major using a civilian, Farooq Ahmad Dar, as a human shield against stone throwers in Kashmir’s Budgam in 2017. Major Leetul Gogoi’s actions had earned him praise from the army top brass.

In the Jammu incident, a police officer said a man who was robbed of ₹40,000 outside a hospital on June 6 identified and accosted the accused on Tuesday and asked him to return the money. “He slashed my hand with a knife or a blade and tried to flee. I chased him and we succeeded in nabbing him,” the complainant said.

The policemen who were patrolling the area joined the chase. The accused, whose name has not been given out by the police but identified as a Kashmiri, was beaten up by the cops and stripped. A garland of shoes was thrown around his neck.

Videos that have surfaced on social media show the youth tied to the bonnet of a police vehicle, with Bakshi Nagar station house officer (SHO) Azad Manhas himself monitoring the assault. Several pictures show Manhas brandishing his baton near the accused’s face.

Manhas, who claimed the accused was part of a gang that was recently busted in the area, praised the locals for nabbing him. “He is from the Valley, from Srinagar. I had busted a gang a few days ago, and he was part of that,” Manhas told reporters.

The SHO said the “thief was found under the influence of drugs” and caught after a scuffle. His arrest was announced over a public address system.

However, local sources said the SHO meted out the punishment even before questioning the accused. “It all happened on the road. Instead of rescuing him, the police tied him to the vehicle to parade him through the market,” a resident said.

Among those who expressed outrage over the incident was lawyer Mohsin Dar, who said it was a clear violation of human rights.

“If this is how accused persons are to be treated in Jammu, then one may question the very need for a police force — such matters could just as well be left to the public, which is deeply concerning,” he posted on X.

Several social media users alleged the accused was subjected to humiliation because of his Kashmiri identity.

Langate MLA Sheikh Khursheed urged authorities to take “immediate cognisance of the incident and ensure that those responsible for this disgraceful conduct are held accountable”.

“Law enforcement must never become a tool for spectacle or humiliation. No matter the crime, our justice system is governed by the rule of law, not mob mentality or public shaming. Such actions reflect poorly on the very institutions meant to uphold justice and protect individual rights,” he said.