Soldiers Thrash JK Cops After Vehicles Stopped at Checkpost

Srinagar—At least seven Jammu and Kashmir policemen, including an assistant sub-inspector, were injured late Friday night when Army personnel stormed a police station, thrashed the policemen there and ransacked it for allegedly holding some soldiers who had been earlier found traveling in civil dress in private vehicles at a checkpost in Gund, Ganderbal.

Sources said that that a group of army personnel belonging to 24 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) were returning from Amarnath Yatra in four private vehicles in civvies.

They said as the vehicles reached Gund, policemen manning the checkpost stopped them and did not let them proceed further as the cut-off time for yatra vehicles had already passed. Police told the armymen that there were strict directions not to allow any movement of yatra vehicles after the cut-off time as that could put them at risk.

“Army men, 32 in number and all in civvies got down from their vehicles entered into a heated arguement with the cops on duty and removed the barricades forcibly and sped away,” they said.

Later at midnight another group of Army soldiers, from the nearby camp, arrived at the police station Gund and thrashed policemen there and also ransacked the police station.

A top police officer said on Saturday, that a case has been registered against the guilty personnel associated with the 24 Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Army.

Giving details police sources told Kashmir Observer, that at around 10 PM on Friday, a police naka party stopped four private Tata Sumo vehicles, coming from Baltal, near Glacial Hotel in Sonamarg. The 32 persons on board in civvies, whom police took as pilgrims, were asked to drive back towards Baltal Base Camp. However, much to their surprise, the passengers entered into an argument with the cops and even tried to assault them. These men while over ruling the orders of the police, came down of their vehicles, stepped aside the barricades and sped away.

Police sources said that the naka party informed police control room Ganderbal which in turn passed the message to Police Station Gund, asking the Station Head to stop the vehicles from moving towards Srinagar.

A naka party from Police Station Gund stopped all these 4 Sumo vehicles near main market Gund, however, the men on board once again entered into an argument with the policemen. The brawl between two sides attracted the attention of passersby, who arrived on the spot and tried to pacify the passengers, who later on turned out to be the men from 24 Rashtriya Rifles of the Indian Army.

Police took all the 32 men to police station Gund where Station House Officer asked them to wait.

“We informed the Commanding Officer of a nearby Army camp that he should take these jawans to his camp for the night” said a police officer. “But suddenly troops came and stormed a police station in Gund, beat up cops, ransacked everything that came in their way. Even police records were also damaged,” he said.

SHO Police Station Gund Sajad Ahmed Khandey said that army parties from Mamar and Surfraw camps barged into police station and started beating the cops.

“These army men, who belonged to 24 Rashtriya Rifles, not only assaulted and thrashed policemen but also ransacked the police station. Seven cops including, two officers were wounded in the attack,” Khandey said.

The army men also slapped the Station House Officer. “They damaged the records kept there, and assaulted the on-duty policemen. The armymen damaged desktops and laptops at the police station, besides tearing off the Daily Diary (DD)”, they said.

The assailants also damaged a private Scorpio (JK01M-8421) and deflated and defelated the tyres of police vehicle (JK01X-8354).

After creating havoc inside the police station, the army men also took along all the 32 of their colleagues.

Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Munir Ahmad Khan, however, tried to downplay the incident. “No policeman has been injured. There was some altercation between policemen and Army,” he said. “I have already spoken to top army authorities and they are ordering a court of inquiry into the incident,” said Mr Khan.

The Army said it had “amicably” resolved the issue with the police arising over the incident and termed it as a “minor altercation”. A defence spokesperson said measures had been taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

FIR’s Registered

Director General of Police (DGP), Jammu and Kashmir, S P Vaid, took up the matter with the Corps Commander of the Army’s Chinar Corps, Lieutenant General J S Sandhu. The Army, however, said it had “amicably” resolved with the police the issue arising over the incident and termed it as a “minor altercation”.

However two FIR’s have been lodged against army in this regard. Police Station Sonmarg has lodged an FIR vide number 9/2017 under 353 RPC while an FIR vide number 18/2017 under section 147, 148, 307, 323, 353, 332, 452, 427, 120B RPC stands registered at police station Gund that falls in the Kangan tehsil of Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

Srinagar based Defense Spokesperson released a statement that reads: “A minor altercation took place yesterday night between some Army personnel returning from Amarnath Yatra in civil dress and JKP personnel at Gund. No major injuries were suffered in the incident and the matter has been resolved by personal intervention of senior officers. Measures to prevent recurrence have been taken.”

Injured Policemen

The wounded policemen who have been hospitalized were identified as Assistant Sub Inspector Bashir Ahmed (558/Gbl), Assistant Sub Inspector Ghulam Rasool (26/Tr), Head Constable Abdul Hamid (1166/Gbl), Constable Altaf Hussain (629/Gbl), Constable Abdul Rashid (633/Gbl), Constable Shakoor Ahmed (1240/Gbl) and Muhammad Aslam 1259/Gbl).

Meanwhile, Jammu Kashmir Police issued a statement in this regard that reads: “During intervening night of 21/22-07-2017 a group of above 30 personnel of 24 RR in civvies travelling in 04 different vehicles escaped forcibly from the NAKA point established by police station Sonmarg at Poney Stand. The army personnel were coming back after Yatra. Due to the already issued cut off timing and present circumstance it was not feasible to allow Yatries after cut off time.”

“The NAKA party of P/S Gund Ganderbal headed by ASI Gh Rasool No.26/T stopped the said vehicles as per the directions. However the personnel, who were in civvies without showing any identification came down from the vehicles and started thrashing the on duty officer and other officials, resulting injuries to said ASI on spot.

After that army parties of COB Gund and COB Surfraw 24 RR headed by captain Shukla along with the personnel in civvies entered in P/S Gund and thrashed/injured all the police personnel present in the P/S and damaged some records of P/S Gund Ganderbal as well as some belongings of officials.”

“In this regard case FIR No. 18/2017 U/S 147, 148,307 ,323, 332, 353,427, 120-B RPC has been registered.”

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