J&K Police FIR names three Lt Colonels among 16 soldiers for assaulting cops

Srinagar, May 30 (IANS) While the Army has said that minor differences between its soldiers and policemen had been amicably resolved, an FIR lodged by police in J&K’s Kupwara district has booked 16 soldiers, including three Lt Colonels in the case of beating of policemen after barging into the police station.

A police FIR has named 16 Army men, including three Lieutenant Colonels, for their involvement in allegedly beating policemen inside the Kupwara police station.

A group of soldiers had barged into the Kupwara police station on Monday around 11.50 p.m. and allegedly beaten up policemen.

The FIR lodged by police says that a huge number of armed and uniformed personnel of 160 Territorial Army led by three officers unauthorisedly entered the premises of police station Kupwara and they collectively and without any provocation in the form of unlawful assembly severely attacked the staff and officers present at the police station with rifle butts, kicks and sticks.

“The information was immediately conveyed to senior police officers who rushed to the police station to rescue them. Upon seeing the arrival of police units and senior police officers the personnel and officers of 160 Territorial Army led by Lieutenant Colonel Ankit Sood, Raju Chauhan and Nikhil brandished their weapons and snatched the mobile phones of the injured personnel and SHO police station Kupwara, Inspector Mohammad Ishaq. While fleeing they abducted Mohari's Head constable, Ghulam Rasool along with them and absconded from the spot," the FIR says.

The Army men have been booked under sections 186, 332, 307, 342, 147, 149, 392, 397 and 365 IPC, and 7/5 Arms Act. Police have launched investigations under DySP Syeed Peerzada Mujahidul Haq.

The Army raid had allegedly come after police raided the residence of a local TA jawan wanted in some investigation.

Army on Wednesday said the reports of the altercation were “misfounded as minor differences between the police personnel and a Territorial Army unit on an operational matter have been amicably resolved”.