Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Kupwara, May 31, 2024 — A serious case of attempt to murder and dacoity has been registered against three army lieutenant colonels and 13 others following a violent incident at the Kupwara police station, according to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by local authorities.
The altercation, which occurred between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, reportedly stemmed from the questioning of a Territorial Army jawan by the Jammu and Kashmir Police concerning an alleged drug case. The situation escalated dramatically when a group of armed and uniformed personnel from the 160 Territorial Army, accompanied by senior Indian Army officials, stormed the police station, an event captured on video.
The Territorial Army, a reserve force composed of part-time volunteers, provides critical support services to the Indian Army. According to the FIR, the armed group led by Lieutenant Colonels Ankit Sood, Rajiv Chauhan, and Nikhil forcibly entered the police station premises. They allegedly launched a brutal assault on the police personnel, utilizing rifle butts, sticks, and kicks without provocation.
The FIR details that the army personnel brandished their weapons, confiscated mobile phones from the injured police officers, and even abducted a police constable before fleeing the scene. The swift intervention of senior police officers was crucial in rescuing the targeted personnel and initiating legal proceedings against the assailants.
The FIR includes charges under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including:
• Section 186: Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions
• Section 332: Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty
• Section 307: Attempt to murder
• Section 342: Wrongful confinement
• Section 147: Punishment for rioting
• Section 149: Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of an offense committed in prosecution of a common object
• Section 392: Punishment for robbery
• Section 397: Robbery or dacoity with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt
• Section 365: Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person
Additionally, the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act. The investigation into the incident is being led by the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Kupwara, who aims to uncover the full extent of the crime and ensure that justice is served.
In contrast, a Srinagar-based defense spokesperson has attempted to downplay the severity of the incident, stating that reports of an altercation and the beating of police personnel are “misfounded and incorrect.” According to the spokesperson, the differences between the police personnel and the Territorial Army unit on an operational matter have been “amicably resolved.”
