Opposition Leader Mark Golding has called on Prime Minister Andrew Holness to take immediate action to ensure full accountability, in the wake of allegations that a female police officer cut the locks of a Rastafarian woman.

19 year old Nzinga King was being held in a police lock up in Clarendon after being arrested for a minor petty sessions offence.

Mr. Golding said reports of this violation of fundamental human rights are repulsive.

He said a dangerous trend of the abuse of citizens’ constitutional rights by agents of the state has emerged and the Prime Minister must immediately use the full authority of his office to condemn and curtail the issue, in a forthright and resolute way.

The Opposition Leader added that it is particularly distressing to many Jamaicans that the alleged violation of Ms. King went viral on Emancipation Day, when Jamaicans were observing the anniversary of liberation from slavery.

This incident he said harks back to the terrible events of coral gardens in the 1960’s, when mass atrocities were committed against the Rastafari community by the then Jamaican government.

He said it would be appalling if vestiges of this discriminatory behaviour still infect the police force in the 21st century and all well-thinking Jamaicans must take this matter very seriously and demand justice and full accountability.

Mr. Golding said this incident would be the latest in a series of serious abuses of authority by members of the police force against young people.

In this case, a young Rastafari woman was reportedly subjected to a profound physical and psychological violation of her identity and core beliefs.

He said the Prime Minister must be strongly proactive in ensuring that the response of the state does not end with the JCF High Command issuing a correct-sounding public statement, but that there are full accountability and justice for these serious constitutional violations.