A senior officer of J&K government on Wednesday was caught on camera assaulting women and the elderly in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district under the pretext of imposing the COVID-19 lockdown.
The actions of Mohammad Ahsan Mir, who is posted as additional deputy commissioner of Baramulla, prompted mass outrage on social media with netizens demanding that the officer should be sacked.
In a video shot at the main market of Baramulla, which was first shared by a local Facebook page, Mir, the second top officer of the civil administration in the district, is seen whipping a young man outside an ATM with a stick.
“Can’t you see that lockdown is in place?” Mir yells at the unidentified man while repeatedly hitting him with the stick and kicking him.
The officer, accompanied by officials of the district administration, then turns his attention to two men, labourers apparently, who are seen pushing a cart on the main road.
Without provocation, Mir is seen assaulting the two men, forcing them to abandon the cart. The video then shows the officer crossing the road to stop an elderly woman who seems to be in some emergency and pleads them to let her through.
However, the additional deputy commissioner starts waving his stick once again, hitting the arm of the elderly woman, who is seen wincing in pain.
According to sources, the rampage lasted for nearly 30 minutes in Azad Gunj area of Baramulla, during which at least two dozen people were beaten up by the officer.
“I was assaulted without any provocation and he even kicked my private parts. He was behaving less like an officer and more like a hooligan,” said Shadi Lal, 58, who works as a manager with State Bank of India’s Baramulla branch.
Shadi Lal, 58, who works as a manager with State Bank of India’s Baramulla branch was assaulted.
(Photo Courtesy: Accessed by The Quint)
Lal, a Kashmiri Pandit, said he has raised the issue with the district administration, “I kept telling him that I am a bank officer and that I was only performing my duty, but he didn’t listen and kept assaulting me,” he said, adding that another SBI officer was also assaulted.
The actions of Mir prompted mass outrage on social media.
The incident, which comes on the eve of Eid, has sparked outrage in Kashmir with many demanding that criminal action should be taken against the erring officer for assaulting women and elderly.
“Law enforcement agencies can't behave like GOONS. With Authority there is Responsibility. Strict action should be taken against him for violating Human Rights. He can't beat people (sic)," BJP leader Sheikh Khaled Jehangir tweeted.
The actions of Mohammad Ahsan Mir, who is posted as additional deputy commissioner of Baramulla, prompted mass outrage on social media.
Photo Courtesy: Screenshot/Facebook
“Sparing not even women and resorting to such highhandedness is not acceptable. This violent and rowdy behavior is unbecoming of a senior officer and he should be taken to task,” said Abid Wani, a National Conference activist.
Mir Yawar, a student, wrote on Twitter, that the officer had “crossed a redline” by assaulting women, who might have come out of their home to buy essentials. “FIR should be lodged against him. He should learn ethics of life and how to deal with citizens, especially women,” he said.
Defending his actions, Mir said that those seen in the video getting assaulted by him were COVID-19 lockdown violators. “I was not using an iron rod, but only a maize plant. I don’t think anyone was hurt,” he said.
Asked why he had to take law in his own hands while dealing with the violators, Mir said: “There was complete madness in Baramulla due to the rush of Eid shoppers. We had to send out a strong message that no violation will not be tolerated,” he told The Quint.
"However, if my actions have hurt anyone or there is some excess, I apologise," he said.
Deputy commissioner of Baramulla Bhupinder Kumar said the district administration has taken cognizance of the matter. “We shall probe the matter and necessary action will be taken, if necessary,” Kumar said.
Asked about the video of ADC Mir circulating on social media, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, PK Pole, said the “context” of the incident has to be assessed, “After knowing the whole story, we shall see what needs to be done,” he said.
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