J&K cricketer wears helmet with Palestine flag JAMMU/SRINAGAR: J&K police have started a probe after videos went viral of a cricketer, Furqan Ul Haq, walking into a Jammu tournament wearing a Palestinian flag sticker on his helmet. The row also took on a political edge, with the PDP and others backing the Pulwama youth and BJP condemning the act as an attempt to incite “separatism”.The controversy broke Wednesday after Furqan strode in to bat at Jammu and Kashmir Champions League in Muthi, around 10km from Jammu city, for his team JK Eleven Kings with the flag emblazoned on his helmet. Some players of the rival team Jammu Trail Blazers raised strong objections, leading Furqan’s team to send him back and oust him from the match.On Friday, the police issued a statement confirming a preliminary inquiry to “ascertain the facts” Furqan’s “intent, background and any possible linkages”. The 14-day preliminary inquiry under Section 173(3) BNSS has been ordered given the sensitivity of the matter and its potential public order implications, the statement added. Furqan and the private organisers of the tournament were later called to Jammu’s Domana police station for the inquiry.Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) distanced itself from the controversy, maintaining that the tournament was a private event and not recognised by it. “JKCA has nothing to do with this. It involves local players. Even spectators are not allowed. Police will take necessary action,” JKCA official Anil Gupta said.While JKCA shrugged off the issue, politicians didn’t. Former CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti posted a message in support of Palestine. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. A flag in the wind, bold and free, From the river to the sea,” Mehbooba wrote on X after reports about the police inquiry.Sheikh Khursheed, Awami Ittehad Party MLA and brother of jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, called the police action “unjustified.” Khursheed said expressing solidarity with Palestine should not be treated as a crime, particularly when India has consistently supported the Palestinian cause internationally.Khursheed recalled that Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi had carried a bag bearing a Palestine symbol in Parliament without facing action. “If such expressions are acceptable for politicians, targeting a sportsperson for a symbolic gesture exposes selective outrage,” Khursheed said.BJP, however, denounced Furqan. Party MLA RS Pathania called for strict action against the cricketer and the organisers of the match, saying such deeds “emanating from Kashmir only promotes separatism”.This is the second cricket event in J&K to have been engulfed by controversy in less than two months. In Nov last year, the privately run Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) collapsed when its organisers allegedly bolted out of Srinagar after duping players, officials, broadcasters and hoteliers.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosShankh Air Founder Speaks Out As Airline Eyes March Launch, Targets Intl Flights By 2029’Their Islamist Ideas…’: Ex-Bangladesh Minister Hits Out Over Attacks on Hindus And Christians’Very Petty & Shameful’: Shashi Tharoor On Row Over KKR Selecting Bangladeshi Player In IPLINLD President Calls For Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal Type Uprising In India Politics, Triggers RowBJP Claims Rahul Gandhi Ties To ‘Anti-India’ Panel Over US Lawmakers’ Umar Khalid LetterNot All Are Illiterate: Rajnath Singh Cites Red Fort Blast, Flags Educated, White Collar Terrorists’Arunachal Pradesh Is And Will Always Be…’ Jaishankar Warns China, Blasts Harassment Of IndiansBullet Train Gets August 15, 2027 India Launch Date, Minister Shares Details On Tunnel BreakthroughCleanest City Hit By Water Contamination As Lab Links Indore Diarrhoea Outbreak To Pipeline LeakUS Lawmaker Raja Krishnamoorthi Condemns Violence Against Hindus In Bangladesh Urges Global Action Up123Photostories7 foods to combine with sweet potato for a wholesome breakfastOlder people who live happily, do these 10 things in their 30 and 40s8 winter pickles to add warmth and taste to your mealsLessons from centenarians: What the world’s longest-living people eat‘Shark Tank India Season 5’: FULL LIST of judges, their net worth, and the brands they ownKylie Jenner-Timothée Chalamet to complete 3 years of dating in 2026: 3 relationship lessons to learn from themHow to make Dhaba-style Dal Makhani at homeAttract True Love During the January 2026 Full Moon; According To Birth Number10 oldest trees in the world that are still living and where can they be foundBest mushroom varieties for vitamin D and how to cook them123Hot PicksPremarital Test OmanVande Bharat Sleeper TrainJanuary Bank holidayGold rate todayIncome Tax RefundBahrain Golden Visa 2025Bank Holidays DecemberTop TrendingJustin Thomas Net WorthWWE Star Nikki BellaCardi BCeeDee Lamb Luxury Car CollectionStefon DiggsCaitlin ClarkTom BradyMicah Parsons vs CeeDee Lamb Net WorthNHL Injury UpdateVanessa Bryant
JAMMU/SRINAGAR: J&K police have started a probe after videos went viral of a cricketer, Furqan Ul Haq, walking into a Jammu tournament wearing a Palestinian flag sticker on his helmet. The row also took on a political edge, with the PDP and others backing the Pulwama youth and BJP condemning the act as an attempt to incite “separatism”.The controversy broke Wednesday after Furqan strode in to bat at Jammu and Kashmir Champions League in Muthi, around 10km from Jammu city, for his team JK Eleven Kings with the flag emblazoned on his helmet. Some players of the rival team Jammu Trail Blazers raised strong objections, leading Furqan’s team to send him back and oust him from the match.On Friday, the police issued a statement confirming a preliminary inquiry to “ascertain the facts” Furqan’s “intent, background and any possible linkages”. The 14-day preliminary inquiry under Section 173(3) BNSS has been ordered given the sensitivity of the matter and its potential public order implications, the statement added. Furqan and the private organisers of the tournament were later called to Jammu’s Domana police station for the inquiry.Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) distanced itself from the controversy, maintaining that the tournament was a private event and not recognised by it. “JKCA has nothing to do with this. It involves local players. Even spectators are not allowed. Police will take necessary action,” JKCA official Anil Gupta said.While JKCA shrugged off the issue, politicians didn’t. Former CM and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti posted a message in support of Palestine. “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. A flag in the wind, bold and free, From the river to the sea,” Mehbooba wrote on X after reports about the police inquiry.Sheikh Khursheed, Awami Ittehad Party MLA and brother of jailed Baramulla MP Engineer Rashid, called the police action “unjustified.” Khursheed said expressing solidarity with Palestine should not be treated as a crime, particularly when India has consistently supported the Palestinian cause internationally.Khursheed recalled that Congress’s Priyanka Gandhi had carried a bag bearing a Palestine symbol in Parliament without facing action. “If such expressions are acceptable for politicians, targeting a sportsperson for a symbolic gesture exposes selective outrage,” Khursheed said.BJP, however, denounced Furqan. Party MLA RS Pathania called for strict action against the cricketer and the organisers of the match, saying such deeds “emanating from Kashmir only promotes separatism”.This is the second cricket event in J&K to have been engulfed by controversy in less than two months. In Nov last year, the privately run Indian Heaven Premier League (IHPL) collapsed when its organisers allegedly bolted out of Srinagar after duping players, officials, broadcasters and hoteliers.
