J&K Police Hospital Locker Raids Spark Dismay Among Doctors
The ongoing searches of hospital lockers across Kashmir by the Jammu & Kashmir Police have drawn growing criticism from the medical community, even as officials insist the inspections will continue until “every locker is accounted for.”
For the past two weeks, police teams—often accompanied by camerapersons—have been sweeping through hospital corridors, opening lockers and pigeon-holes allotted to doctors. Videos and photographs of the operations quickly circulate on social media, amplifying concern among healthcare professionals.
The searches follow the busting of an inter-state Ansar Ghazwatul Hind module, allegedly linked to the recent Red Fort blast in Delhi. Authorities claim four doctors, three of whom are from Kashmir, were involved. Police say they recovered a rifle from a locker at Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, which had belonged to one of the accused, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, who left GMC a year ago but never ceded possession of the locker.
Police officers have stated that surprise checks may continue, with hospital administrations cooperating and medical superintendents accompanying the teams. One official said, “We have checked most hospitals in the Valley and are likely to finish the process in a few days. But we could carry out surprise inspections to keep a check.”
However, concerns are growing, even within the police, about the necessity and optics of such sweeping measures. A senior officer in Srinagar remarked, “Doctors are the cream of society. By humiliating them, we are sending the wrong message to both the doctor community and the public. Painting an entire profession as suspect could damage careers and breed animosity.”
The Health and Medical Education Department had already instructed hospitals to inspect all unidentified or unlabelled lockers, and some medical administrators say the police action could have been conducted more discreetly. Dr Abdul Gani Dar, Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Pulwama, told the media that his team had voluntarily requested police assistance for lockers that had not been opened in some time. “We broke the seals on some lockers and found mostly aprons and medicines. Nothing adverse was found,” he said.
Doctors across Srinagar voiced unease over the public and media-heavy nature of the raids. One senior physician said, “We understand the security concerns, but what message is being sent when these raids are broadcast nonstop on social media? Are all of us being implicitly treated as militants?” Women doctors have also expressed concern over privacy violations during the inspections.
In response to the backlash, J&K Health Minister Sakeena Itoo expressed regret over the perceived targeting of the medical fraternity. She stated that she would instruct the Secretary of Health to sensitize agencies on following proper standard operating procedures (SOPs) during such inspections.
Meanwhile, as part of its broader security operations, the police conducted city-wide inspections at Srinagar’s mosques and madrassas to crack down on “individuals and networks associated with terrorist organisations.”
The ongoing hospital raids highlight a tension between security imperatives and the professional autonomy and dignity of healthcare workers, raising questions about how future inspections should be conducted to balance both concerns.
