The army has denied assaulting the cops and termed it an incident of “minor differences”.
Army-Cops Clash In J&K’s Kupwara, Case against 3 Lt Colonels
The Jammu & Kashmir Police have booked 16 soldiers from the Territorial Army (TA), including three lieutenant colonels, for storming into police station in Kupwara, and beating up five policemen on duty with rifle butts, kicks and sticks, officials aware of the matter said on Thursday. The soldiers barged into the police station after one the men from their unit was detained by the local cops in connection with a crime-related case, the officials said, asking not to be named.
The unsavoury clash took place on Tuesday night, even while the local army authorities sought to downplay the episode the day it unfolded. The army personnel now face serious charges.
In a first information report (FIR) filed on Thursday, several charges were slapped against the army personnel, including attempt to murder, causing harm to a public servant with the intent to deter him from performing his duty and other charges under the Arms Act. The local police blamed the soldiers of 160 TA battalion—deployed in Trehgam — for not only thrashing but also abducting a policeman on duty, a serious accusation that could vitiate the atmosphere in a sensitive area.
The officers named in the FIR are Lieutenant Colonels Ankit Sood, Raju Chauhan and Nikhil from TA, a voluntary, part-time citizen’s army modelled on the lines of the UK territorial army. To be sure, TA is controlled by the Indian Army, has garrisons in or near cantonments and military stations, and its ranks are accorded by the Indian Army. TA units are commanded by colonels from the Indian Army.
Army officers in the rank of captain, major and lieutenant colonel also serve TA units on deputation, although the parent cadre of the three officers named in the FIR wasn’t immediately known.
The development comes at a time when an army court of inquiry into the custodial deaths of three civilians in an army camp near Poonch following a terror ambush in which four soldiers were killed last December is at an advanced stage and strict action is likely to be taken against those found guilty of lapses. Employed graduates aged between 18 and 42 years are eligible to join the TA as officers and don the army uniform. Under the part-time serving model, the reservists are required to serve for at least two months every year, though most of them end up serving full-time because of the organization’s requirements.
TA units have taken part in all post-Independence wars and operations.
Meanwhile, a video of the army personnel thrashing the police men went viral, with many people demanding action against the officers and the jawans.
