Srinagar, June 02, 2011: Unidentified Indian Army personnel entered three hotels in the dead of the night in Leh and harassed local and foreign tourists, without any reason.
Daily news papers in Srinagar aid that the incident took place during the intervening night of May 30 and 31 when the troopers of 3 Division deployed at Kharu in Leh area of Ladakh region barged into Hotel Masarovar, Holiday Inn and Keddar Guest House. “The troops were carrying weapons and wearing uniforms, questioned the tourists,” it added.
The report said that one of the tourists had taken pictures of the Army personnel and complained to local police about harassment by the men in uniform. “A case has also been filed against the troops,” it maintained.
Police have registered and filed a case Fir NO 84/2011 under sections 452, 148, 342 RPC (rioting, armed with deadly weapons) and 342 RPC (wrongful confinement) against the Army personnel, as Armed Force Special Power Act is not in force in Leh region, the police sources said.
"The Police is looking into the motives of the army personnel who searched some hotels in Leh during the intervening night of 30/31.05.2011, since the Armed Force Special Power Act is not in force in Leh," the police spokesperson said.
The incident took place during the intervening night of May 30 and 31 when Army personnel from 3 Division based at Kharu in Leh area of Ladakh region barged into Hotel Masarovar, Holiday Inn and Keddar Guest House, official sources said on June 2.
They said the soldiers, carrying weapons and wearing uniforms without name badges, questioned the tourists without taking local police into confidence as required under law.
One of the tourists had taken pictures of the Army personnel and complained to local police about harassment by the troops, the sources said.
They said as the police tried to intervene in the matter, the soldiers manhandled them. The Army personnel were heard repeatedly shouting that someone in the hotels was using a satellite phone.
Several foreign tourists staying in these hotels felt harassed in the process and threatened to lodge a complaint with the Government through their embassies, the sources said.
The black law, AFSPA gives sweeping powers of search and arrest without any magisterial warrants to the Indian army, paramilitary forces, police men and other intelligence agencies which is in force in Kashmir and Jammu regions where the Disturbed Areas Act is also imposed. Agencies