A police FIR has named 16 army men including three Lieutenant Colonels for their involvement in Monday night assault on a police station in border Kupwara district, accusing them of abducting a cop and beating and injuring other cops with rifle butts, kicks and sticks.
The army men have been booked for attempt to murder, rioting, abduction and robbery among other charges of the IPC.
Five policemen were injured in the attack when army men allegedly barged “unauthorisedly” into the police station around 11.40 pm.
The officers named in the FIR include Lieutenant Colonels Ankit Sood, Raju Chauhan and Nikhil from 160 Territorial Army.
The police FIR said a “huge number of armed and uniformed personnel of 160 Territorial Army” led by the three officers “unauthorisedly entered the premises” of Police Station Kupwara.
“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,” it read.
It said 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 alleged 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 PS Kupwara Inspector Mohammad Ishaq and while fleeing they abducted MHC Ghulam Rasool along with them and absconded from the spot,” it said.
The army men have been booked under sections 186, 332, 307, 342, 147, 149, 392, 397 ad 365 IPC, and 7/5 Arms Act.
Police have launched investigations under DySP Syeed Peerzada Mujahidul Haq.
The army raid had come after police raided residence of a local TA jawan wanted in some investigation.
A Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Monday played down the incident and said “the reports of altercation between police and army personnel” and “beating up therein of police personnel are 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 then said.