Kashmir cricketer sports Palestinian flag during match, comes under Jammu police scanner

A Kashmiri cricketer’s move to wear a Palestinian flag on his helmet during a special cricket tournament held in Jammu on Thursday, January 1, 2026, came under the J&K police scanner.

Many players aware of the developments said that a cricketer named Furkan Bhat was wearing a helmet with the Palestinian flag on it. A few days ago, he was playing for local JK11 against Jammu Trailblazers during the ongoing Jammu and Kashmir Champions League (JKCL) in Jammu region.

“The actor’s video instantly went viral and netizens in Jammu tried to take action,” said an actor.

The online outrage was followed by summonses by Jammu Police to Mr. Bhat and organizer Zahid Bhat.

Despite repeated attempts, senior officials in Jammu refused to comment on the issue. Official sources said no First Information Report (FIR) was lodged till Thursday evening.

However, the cricketer and the organizer were interrogated by the police.

While many in Jammu demanded action against the cricketer, the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) said it had no connection with the tournament and “the player has no connection with the Association”.

The BJP in Jammu also filed a case against the actor. “An unpleasant incident in which a local Kashmiri cricketer was seen wearing the Palestinian flag on his cricket helmet has come to the fore today. To sum it up very clearly and categorically, we think this is a poor attempt to use the cricket ground as a platform to promote a destructive agenda or shows utter indifference to India’s stance,” senior BJP leader and MLA RS Pathania said, while urging the authorities to “conduct a thorough investigation into the matter”.