Srinagar: Army officers and dozens of soldiers are in trouble for their alleged involvement in an unprecedented clash with police in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district.
Jammu and Kashmir Police have booked the Commanding Officer (CO) of 17 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), a Major, a Naib Subedar, and about 40 soldiers for allegedly storming Atholi police station.
The Army personnel have been accused of assaulting senior police officers and government officers inside the station premises, and vandalising government property on Wednesday at Atholi, which is about 210 km from Jammu.
Those named in the FIR include Colonel N Arun Gandhi, the CO, Major Vikas Sharma, Naib Subedar Shanker Gurkhe, sepoy (general duty) Raj Kumar, and sepoys Rahul Kumar, Anoop Singh, and Omkar Ingale, besides 30 to 40 unnamed jawans.
They have all been charged under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as well as Section 121(1) of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The charges against the Army personnel include unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal trespass, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, assaulting public servants, attempt to murder and criminal intimidation.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar Bhagat and Station House Officer (SHO) Amrit Katoch were among those allegedly assaulted at Atholi police station.
As per the FIR lodged by SHO Katoch, the troops stormed the police station when he was attending a government function at the Block Development Office, that was chaired by the Kishtwar District Commissioner.
He rushed to the police station on receiving information about the violent incident, the SHO said.
“As soon as the undersigned entered the premises of the police station, the Army personnel, led aggressively by Major Vikas Sharma, physically assaulted the undersigned (SHO). During this scuffle, they tore the uniform shirt of the undersigned and launched a physical attack on SDPO Atholi, Shri Vijay Kumar Bhagat also,” the FIR reads.
Police alleged that the attack was pre-planned and claimed several cops were injured.
The FIR stated that the Army personnel were armed with lathis, iron rods and service weapons when they forced their way into the police station after scaling the main gate and boundary walls.
The trigger of Armymen’s anger was reportedly the seizure of an Army vehicle by the Assistant Regional Transport officer (ARTO) of Kishtwar.
The FIR further said that the Kishtwar ARTO and his personal security officers were beaten up as they were present in the police station premises at that time.
“The attackers also caused extensive damage to government and public property, vandalising the official vehicle of the ARTO, the vehicle of the SHO police station Atholi, SDPO Atholi and breaking down the main gate of the police station,” the FIR said.
It also claimed that the Army personnel wanted to “kill” the police personnel on duty.
“Having made full preparations and armed with lathis, iron rods, and arms and ammunitions the said group trespassed into the premises of Police Station Atholi by forcefully climbing over the main gate and the boundary walls. Their common intention was to cause fatal injuries and kill the police personnel on duty. Upon receiving a call from the Police Station regarding the forceful entry and assault, undersigned immediately rushed back,” reads the FIR.