Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather on Friday said that “appropriate action” would be taken against a journalist who uploaded a video of a National Conference (NC) MLA on social media, alleging that the legislator was “watching reels” on his phone during Assembly proceedings.
As the House convened on Friday morning, Karnah MLA Javaid Mirchal raised the issue of his video, which had gone viral on social media.
Mirchal explained that a journalist had filmed him during Thursday’s session while he was scrolling through his phone.
“I was checking my phone during the proceedings yesterday. A journalist recorded it and shared it online, claiming I was wasting time,” he said.
The video quickly gained traction on social media, amassing around 63,000 views on a news portal’s Facebook page, which has approximately one million followers.
Mirchal said the viral clip had caused him distress, adding, “My constituents have been calling me nonstop, and I couldn’t sleep the entire night.”
Supporting him, NC MLA from Gurez, Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, said the party was considering moving a privilege motion against the journalist involved.
Responding to the matter, Speaker Rather assured the House, saying, “I assure the members that appropriate action will be taken against the defaulter.”
