NEW DELHI, May 30: Sixteen Territorial Army personnel, including three Lieutenant Colonels, were named in a First Information Report (FIR) for allegedly barging into a police station, beating up and kidnapping policemen in north Kashmir’s Kupwara on Wednesday night.
The incident was also caught on a camera inside the police station. Several Armymen were seen entering the police station, dragging and thrashing up policemen in the video, which is now viral. The incident took place around 9:40 p.m. at the Kupwara Police Station following a police raid of a house of a local Territorial Army man in a case during the day.
“A huge number of armed and uniformed personnel of 160 Territorial Army led by Lieutenant Colonel Ankit Sood, Lieutenant Colonel Rajiv Chauhan and Lieutenant Colonel Nikhil unauthorizedly entered the premises of the Police Station Kupwara,” the FIR said.
It said the armymen collectively and without any provocation in the form of an unlawful assembly, severely attacked the staff and officers present at Police Station Kupwara with rifle butts, kicks, and sticks. “Immediately, information was conveyed to senior police officers upon which they rushed and came to this police station to rescue the police personnel being attacked over there.
“Upon seeing the arrival of the police units and senior police officers, the alleged personnel and officers of 160 Territorial Army led the Lieutenant Colonels brandished their weapons, snatched the mobile phones of the injured police personnel and Station House Officer, Kupwara, Inspector Mohmmad Ishaq,” the FIR said.
According to the FIR, the Army men also abducted Head Constable Ghulam Rasool as they fled from the spot. Official sources said that the Territorial Army man earlier taken into custody by the police was also extracted from the station and taken away.
A case has been registered under Section 186 (voluntarily obstructs any public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 332 (voluntarily causes hurt to a public servant), 307 (attempt to murder), 342 (wrongfully confines any person), 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 392 (robbery), 397 (robbery or dacoity, where the offender uses any deadly weapon), 365 (kidnapping and abduction) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 25 (misusing or carrying arms in contravention of law) of the Arms Act.
The J&K Police said an investigation in the case was being carried out by a deputy superintendent of police, Kupwara. Authorities aim to uncover the full extent of the crime and bring the accused individuals to justice, officials said.
The Army has not commented on the FIR. However, a Srinagar-based defence spokesperson said the reports of altercation between police and Army personnel “were mis-founded and incorrect.” “Minor differences between the police personnel and a territorial Army unit on an operational matter have been amicably resolved,” the spokesperson claimed.
The Territorial Army is a military reserve force composed of part-time volunteers who provide support services to the Indian Army.
(Manas Dasgupta)