NEW DELHI: Police in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Friday summoned a local cricketer for questioning after a video showing him wearing a helmet bearing a Palestinian flag sparked outrage online.
According to the Indian Express According to the newspaper, police began a 14-day preliminary investigation after a video surfaced on social media showing Pulwama resident Furqanul Haq wearing the helmet during a local league match in Jammu.
Police said the investigation had been ordered given the “sensitivity of the matter and its potential public order implications” and would examine the facts, the cricketer’s intent and any possible links.
Under the law, police can conduct preliminary investigations with prior authorization from a deputy commissioner of police for offenses punishable by three to seven years’ imprisonment.
The controversy arose during a Jammu and Kashmir Champions League match in Muthi, 10 kilometers from Jammu, after Furqan walked in to represent his team, JK Eleven Kings, against Jammu Trail Blazers.
A Times of India (YOU), the report states that some players of the opposing team objected to the helmet sticker, following which Furqanul Haq was sent off and did not take part in the match again.
Furqan and the tournament organizers were then summoned to the police station for questioning.
The Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association has distanced itself from the episode. “JKCA has nothing to do with this. It involves local players. Even spectators are not allowed. Police will take necessary action,” an official told TOI.
Support for the Palestinian cause
The controversy sparked political reactions. Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed her support for the Palestinian cause on social media.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. A flag in the wind, bold and free, from the river to the sea,” she posted on X.
Published in Dawn, January 4, 2026
