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| Anger among people on counter FIR filed by Army | | |
Bandipora June 30
The two troopers who were lodged in Police Station Bandipora after being allegedly caught trying to rape a 17-year-old girl in Kunan village of Gujar Patti area in north Kashmir Bandipora district, were handed over to army late last evening. The handover came following an order by Judicial Magistrate Bandipora's order for handover of the two so that court martial proceedings against the two could be initiated.
Meanwhile, unrest prevails in north Kashmir Bandipora town after Tuesday's incident that saw people parading half-naked troopers of 57 Rashtriya Rifles for five kilometers. Anger and concern among the people is mounting on account of the counter FIR filed by the army claiming that two of their troopers were made hostage while the duo was out on intelligence gathering.
After the government lawyer pleaded in the court of Magistrate Aijaz Ahmad at Bandipora that the two troopers had forced their entry into the house of Mohammad Rafiq Khan where they tried to rape his teenage daughter and their bail was not covered under the purview of section 497, the bail application was subsequently dismissed by the magistrate.
The commanding officer of the 57 battalion of Rashtriya Rifles, meanwhile, filed an application for the handover of the two troopers to the army for initiating court martial proceedings against them, which were subsequently conceded by the court. Till last reports, the two troopers were still lodged in the police station Bandipora.
Though army has instituted and internal enquiry into the matter and police too is investigating the case following FIR number 122 in police station Bandipora by the people who severely beat the 'erring' troopers, FIR number 123 – the counter FIR by the army whereby it charges people of wrongful confinement of troopers on duty – comes as a shock to the people who perceive it as a measure to defend the alleged attempt to rape by the troopers.
"Army is trying to hide the truth," alleged Abdul Rasheed, who was a part of the mob that paraded the two troopers, Balwant Singh and Joginder Singh after the later were caught in the house of Mohammad Rafiq Khan. The screams of Khan's teenage daughter, on whom the alleged attempt to rape was made, had attracted neighbours and soon the collecting mobs had gone restless, beating the troopers to pulp.
"Had the incident taken place in some other area of India, Indian media would have been speaking a different language," said another resident of Kunan who did not want his identity to be revealed apparently for the fear of persecution. "After the counter FIR, police shall be coming looking for every youth in the village," he added.
The troopers, however, continue to be in police custody while police has begun investigating into the matter. Reports said that the teenage girl had on Thursday shown to the police the bruises on her chest incurred while the troopers were trying to molest her.
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