Jammu Kashmir Police Book 17 Rashtriya Rifles Officers, Soldiers Over Alleged Assault at Atholi Police Station, Kishtwar

Jammu Kashmir Police Book 17 Rashtriya Rifles Officers, Soldiers Over Alleged Assault at Atholi Police Station, Kishtwar

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have booked the Commanding Officer of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), a Major, a Naib Subedar, and 30 to 40 soldiers for allegedly storming the Atholi police station in Kishtwar district. The army personnel are accused of violently assaulting senior police officers and vandalising government property on Wednesday.

Atholi—located in the Paddar Valley 42km east of the Kishtwar district headquarters, which itself lies about 210km from Jammu—became the site of an unprecedented clash between the Indian Army and the police.

Those named in the first information report (FIR) are Colonel N Arun Gandhi, the CO, Major Vikas Sharma, Naib Subedar Shanker Gurkhe, sepoy (general duty) Raj Kumar, and sepoys Rahul Kumar, Anoop Singh, and Omkar Ingale, alongside 30 to 40 unnamed jawans.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)—including Sections 109, 115(2), 126(2), 132, 189(2), 190, 191(2), 191(3), 221, 324(4), 324(5), 324(6), 332(b), 351(2), and 352—as well as Section 121(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. The charges span unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal trespass, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, assaulting public servants, attempt to murder, and criminal intimidation.

Flashpoint on road

According to a local resident who witnessed the initial trigger and spoke on condition of anonymity, the trouble erupted around Wednesday noon. Kishtwar district commissioner (DC) Pankaj Sharma’s convoy was navigating a narrow local road for a Block Diwas public outreach programme when it encountered a private car driven by a soldier coming from the opposite direction.

When the police personnel escorting the DC directed the soldier to pull his vehicle aside to let the convoy pass, an argument ensued. The police subsequently impounded the car and towed it to the Atholi police station.

The soldier was not in uniform at the time of incident. His name, rank and unit remain unclear, though police sources say he belonged to 11 RR.

Following phone calls from army officers, the police initially released the vehicle. However, the resolution was short-lived.

Assault and vandalism

The FIR says that an hour and a half later, a pre-planned retaliatory strike was launched from the 17 RR Camp in Kijayee. Acting under the direct orders of their commanding officer, a group of 30 to 40 army personnel armed with iron rods, lathis, and service weapons scaled the main gate and boundary walls to breach the police station.

The mob brutally targeted the deployed police personnel. Station house officer (SHO) Amrit Katoch, who rushed back from the Block Diwas meeting after being alerted by phone of a “criminal conspiracy,” was aggressively intercepted and assaulted by Major Sharma, who tore his uniform shirt. Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Vijay Bhagat was also physically assaulted.

The army jawans targeted special police officer (SPO) Suresh Kumar, striking his neck with a rifle butt and inflicting severe injuries. The attackers also beat the assistant regional transport officer (ARTO), Kishtwar, Tasleem Javed Wani, and his personal security officers (PSOs) who happened to be inside the station at that time.

Extensive damage was inflicted on government property, including the destruction of the police station’s main gate and the systematic vandalism of official vehicles belonging to the ARTO, the SHO, and the SDPO.

The investigation has been handed over to police sub-inspector Adarsh Kant.

The police personnel are stated to be in a stable condition.

Responding to the incident, Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said: “The matter is under examination through institutional mechanisms.” He assured that the Indian Army will fully cooperate with the legal process and that appropriate action will follow a joint investigation, adding that further comments would be premature at this stage. (The Hindustan Times]