Srinagar: An Army Colonel, a Major, and 30-40 other soldiers of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles have been booked for attempt to murder and rioting after they allegedly barged into a police station and assaulted policemen in the Padder area of the mountainous district of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir, on June 24. The cause of the attack is not clear, but locals feel that it could be a dispute over the police’s stopping of an Army vehicle. According to the contents of the First Information Report (FIR) lodged at Atholi Police Station, a group of 30-40 soldiers of the 17 Rashtriya Rifles entered the police station on the afternoon of June 24 by climbing its walls and gate, and assaulted the officers present there. Among those who were allegedly assaulted were the sub-divisional police officer, station house officer, and assistant regional transport officer.The FIR reads:“Under the direct instructions and commands of Commanding officer 17 RR, namely N. Arun Gandhi, a group of 30 to 40 Army personnel from 17 RR Camp Kijayee, led by Major Vikas Sharma and Naib Subedar Shanker Gurkhe of 17 RR, launched a pre-planned attack. Having made full preparations and armed with lathis, iron rods, and arms and ammunitions the said group trespassed into the premises of Police Station Atholi by forcefully climbing over the main gate and the boundary walls. Their common intention was to cause fatal injuries and kill the police personnel on duty.”In the FIR, the Atholi station house officer (SHO) Amrit Singh Katoch states that he was attending a Block Diwas programme chaired by the Kishtwar deputy commissioner and rushed back upon hearing of the violent attack.As soon as he entered the police station premises, the SHO claimed in the FIR that Army personnel physically assaulted him. He claimed that they tore his uniform during the scuffle.He further claims, in the complaint, that the Atholi SDPO and other police personnel were also assaulted, and that a Special Police Officer (SPO) was hit on the neck with the butt of a rifle, causing severe injuries.The FIR also accuses personnel of 17 RR of assaulting the assistant regional transport officer (ARTO) Tasleem Javeed Wani, and his personal security officers who were present in the police station at the time.It also accuses them of damaging vehicles belonging to police officers and the Kishtwar ARTO.The FIR number 17/2026 has been registered against the Army personnel under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023, including attempt to murder, rioting assault on public servants while discharging official duties, wrongful restraint and other allied offences.What caused the incident?While the FIR is silent on what led to the incident, locals said that the trigger appears to have been that a vehicle belonging to the Army was stopped by the police when the Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar was moving through the area to participate in a programme.This led to an exchange of arguments between the driver of the vehicle and the police, after which the vehicle was taken to the Kishtwar Police Station for verification.The Kishtwar SSP Naresh Singh did not respond to repeated calls from this reporter.Kishtwar ARTO Wani said that he cannot speak on the matter as he is currently occupied. The Wire will update the story as and when they speak on the issue.Matter under examination: ArmyMeanwhile, the Army on June 25 (today) said the matter is under examination through the appropriate institutional mechanism and that appropriate action will be taken on the basis of the outcome of the joint investigation.Defence public relations officer, Lt. Col Suneel Bartwal, said that the Army will extend full cooperation in the legal process.“The matter pertains to an FIR registered by the local police in Atholi, Kishtwar. The matter is under examination through the appropriate institutional mechanisms. The Indian Army will extend full cooperation in the legal process. Appropriate actions will be taken based on the outcome of the joint investigation. At this stage it would be premature to comment further while the investigations are in progress,” the Army said.