Five Police Personnel Injured After Alleged Assault by Army Personnel in Kupwara, Army Denies Involvement

Jammu, May 29: At least five policemen, including an officer, were injured after soldiers allegedly barged into the police station in  Jammu and Kashmir's  Kupwara district and “beat up” the cops, official sources said on Wednesday.
The Srinagar based defence spokesman rebutted allegations that its soldiers had beaten up some policemen in  Kupwara and termed the incident as a result of “minor differences” between the police and territorial army.
“Reports of an altercation between police and army personnel and beating up therein of police personnel are misfounded and incorrect. Minor differences between the police personnel and a territorial army unit on an operational matter have been amicably resolved,” the spokesman said.
However, the sources said the incident took place last night after a team of Police Station  Kupwara during investigation of a case raided the house of a Territorial Army jawan at Batapora village in Kupwara and detained him for questioning.
They said after the police team returned from the village, the soldiers led by an officer from the unit of Territorial Army in the middle of the night barged into the police station and allegedly assaulted the cops including an officer.
“Five cops including an officer were injured in the thrashing incident,” the sources said, adding four cops were shifted to Srinagar's Sher-e- Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) for treatment.
The four injured cops were identified as Constable Saleem Mushtaq, Constable Zahoor Ahmad, Imtiyaz Ahmad Malik and Rayees Khan, both Special Police Officers (SPO).
They said the condition of all the injured is stated to be stable.
The sources said before leaving the police station, a policeman was taken by the army and set free after 3 am.
While there is no official word from the police, sources said a case under several sections including rioting, attempt to murder, abduction and robbery has been registered in the police station  Kupwara against the Army.