The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed uproarious scenes on Monday as members criticized the incident of a police officer “kicking” a tribal woman protester after the recovery of bodies of two missing youths in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.

As soon as the sitting of the House began, legislators raised the issue of the death of Showkat Ahmad of Rajouri whose body was recovered from the Vaishow Nallah in Kulgam on Sunday. Ahmad had gone missing along with two others about a month ago.

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Choudhary Muhammad Akram accused a police officer of assaulting a woman protester during demonstrations in Qazigund and demanded stern action.

Tension mounted when National Conference (NC) legislators Javed Choudhary, Mian Mehar Ali, Javaid Mirchal, and Zaffar Ali Khatan attempted to storm into the well of the House. They were promptly restrained by Marshals and party colleagues amid rising tempers.

Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened, assuring members that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had taken note of the matter and would address their concerns. “The House must be assured that justice will be served,” Rather said.

NC’s Nazir Ahmad Gurezi and PDP legislators Waheed Parra and Mehar Ali joined in demanding accountability, calling for a time-bound probe into the alleged police excesses and the mysterious disappearances.

Parra raised concern over the growing trend of missing persons, particularly among the Gujjar community, and stressed the need for transparency. “This is not an isolated case. We need answers, and we need them now,” he said.

Peoples Conference President and MLA Sajad Lone also condemned the incident.

“Images of a police officer kicking the female relatives of two youths who died in Kulgam are utterly disdainful,” he said.

“The whole action reeks of contempt within the minds of those who are supposed to protect the masses,” he added.

The deceased youth’s family had staged a protest in Qazigund along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, demanding a thorough investigation into the deaths.

Bodies of Showkat Ahmad and his brother Riyaz Ahmad were recovered within days of each other from the same stream. The duo, along with a third person, Mukhtar Ahmad, had left Qazigund for Ashmuji in Kulgam on 13 February to attend a family function but never reached their destination.

Meanwhile, PDP leader Iltija Mufti took to social media to allege that authorities had “locked up the gates” of her house to prevent her from visiting Kulgam.

“What are the authorities trying to hide here?” she questioned in a post on X.

A video clip showing a police officer’s conduct during the protests has added fuel to the fire.

Responding to public outrage, Kashmir Police Zone issued a statement on X confirming that the matter is under investigation.

“A video has surfaced on social media regarding a police officer’s conduct with the public in Kulgam. We have taken cognisance of yesterday’s incident and the allegations regarding the officers conduct. DIG SKR will enquire and submit his findings within 10 days,” the statement on X read.