The Indian Army on Friday ordered an inquiry after a university professor accused the troops of assaulting him during the checking of vehicles at a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said.
Police have also registered an FIR against unidentified army personnel, they said.
Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the incident and said “such individuals tarnish the reputation of a respected institution through their unacceptable and high-handed behaviour”.
The professor, Liaqat Ali, suffered head injuries in the alleged assault near the border village of Laam late on Thursday night. A video purportedly showing the bleeding professor has surfaced online.
“An incident has come to light wherein certain individuals were allegedly manhandled by army personnel in Rajouri district. The army had inputs on the likely movement of terrorists in a vehicle in this sensitive area. Accordingly, search operations were being conducted.
“Preliminary information suggests that on being stopped, the individual tried to snatch weapons from the soldiers on duty, with whom he got into a scuffle. However, an inquiry has been initiated. Should any personnel be found guilty of misconduct, strict action will be taken in accordance with the existing law,” the army said in a statement in Jammu.
It said the army remains steadfast in upholding the highest standards of professionalism and discipline in the conduct of counter-terror operations.
“All sections of society are requested to continue to cooperate and collaborate with the Indian Army for collective and comprehensive security in this sensitive area,” the statement said.
The alleged incident took place when Mr Ali and some of his relatives, including his cousin brothers serving in the army and ITBP, were returning to Kalakote after attending the pre-wedding ceremony of one of their relatives.
Officials said an FIR under Sections 126(2) dealing with crime of wrongful restraint and 115(2) -- voluntarily causing hurt -- of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered at the Nowshera police station against unidentified army personnel for a thorough investigation.
Mr Ali, a professor at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) posted in Delhi, wrote a post on X claiming he was "assaulted" without any reason.
“My entire family is in the army. I've always been proud of that. Proud of the uniform, the service, the sacrifice. But today, what I experienced shook that pride to the core. Without any reason, without any question, I was assaulted -- hit on the head with a weapon by the very people I once trusted blindly," Ali said in the post that also had a picture showing him bleeding.
“It made me realise one terrifying truth: if the system chooses to, it can 'encounter' any human being -- without evidence, without trial, without justice. There's no apology that can undo this wound. Only one haunting question remains -- has justice now become the privilege of the uniform alone?” the professor wrote.
Mr Ali got nearly half-a-dozen stitches to close his wound, besides undergoing necessary tests at the Government Medical College (GMC) in Jammu.
“I was sitting inside the vehicle when army personnel came and asked for my identity. I came out of the vehicle as a matter of respect to show my identity card, but they started beating me with their weapons,” the professor told reporters.
He said he saw his younger brother, who is in ITBP, also knocked to the ground along with him.
“The army is our country's pride… I want nobody to be treated like this and justice be given to me,” Mr Ali said.
Mehbooba Mufti, in a post on X, urged the army to take immediate and strict action against those responsible for this “shocking incident”.
“Such individuals tarnish the reputation of a respected institution through their unacceptable and high-handed behaviour,” she said.
Former J-K BJP president Ravinder Raina assured the professor of justice and said “law of the land is supreme and nobody in India is above the law. Whosoever made it happen, have to face the consequences...”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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