Army orders inquiry after varsity professor claims assault by troops in J&K

The Army on Friday ordered an inquiry after a university professor accused the troops of assaulting him during a checking of vehicles in a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The professor, Liaqat Ali, suffered head injuries in the alleged assault near the border village Laam late Thursday night and a purported video showing the bleeding professor surfaced online.

An incident has come to light wherein certain individuals were allegedly manhandled by Army personnel in Rajouri district. The Army had input 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 of the soldiers on duty and initiated a scuffle with them. 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 the 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 happened when the professor and some of his relatives were returning to their place Kalakote after attending a pre-wedding ceremony of one of their relatives.

Ali, a professor at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) posted in New Delhi, wrote a post on X saying he was "assaulted" without any reason.

My entire family is in the Indian 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," he said in a 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.