In a shocking turn of events, three lieutenant colonels and thirteen other Indian Army personnel have been named in a case of attempt to murder and dacoity following a violent attack on the Kupwara police station in Kashmir. The incident, which occurred on the intervening nights of Tuesday and Wednesday (28-29 May), has sparked outrage and raised serious concerns about the conduct of the armed forces.
According to the FIR filed in relation to the incident, a group of armed and uniformed personnel from the 160 Territorial Army, led by lieutenant colonels Rajiv Chauhan and Nikhil, forcibly entered the premises of the police station. They proceeded to launch a brutal assault on the police personnel present there, using rifle butts and sticks and kicking them without any provocation.
The situation escalated further as the army personnel brandished their weapons, seized mobile phones from the injured police officers and even abducted a police constable before fleeing the scene. The swift response of senior police officers helped rescue the targeted police personnel and initiate legal action against the perpetrators.
The FIR has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 307 (attempt to murder), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 147 (punishment for rioting). The accused also face charges under sections 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 392 (punishment for robbery), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) and 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person).
According to the FIR, they have also been booked under the Arms Act. The deputy superintendent of police is investigating the incident, and authorities aim to uncover the full extent of the crime and bring the accused individuals to justice.
A Srinagar-based defence spokesperson sought to downplay the incident, stating that the reports of an altercation between police and army personnel and “beating up therein of police personnel are misfounded and incorrect”. However, video evidence provided by eyewitnesses paint a different picture, showing the army personnel engaged in a violent attack on the police station.
The incident has raised serious questions about the conduct of the Indian Army and the accountability of its personnel. The charges of attempt to murder, dacoity, and forcible entry are particularly troubling, as they strike at the heart of the rule of law and the trust between the armed forces and the civilian population.
