A video has surfaced in which an Army officer is seen threatening policemen in Arunachal Pradesh for investigating soldiers of the Second Arunachal Scouts accused of vandalising a police station in Bomdila on November 3 and attacking civilians and police personnel.
In the video tweeted by the digital news platform East Mojo on Tuesday – which Scroll.in could not independently verify – an Army officer is heard saying: “Be very careful while you move out of Bomdila. This is a direct threat to you. Take it as a warning. You dare touch my boy again, any time in future, and see what I make out of you.” It is not clear which of the accused soldiers he is referring to.
Deputy Commissioner Sonal Swaroop and Superintendent of Police Raja Banthia on Monday said a group of “inebriated soldiers” had misbehaved with civilians and police personnel at the Buddha Mahotsav celebrations in Bomdila on Friday. Banthia said an Army major later visited the police station and apologised for the soldiers’ conduct, and said they would be available for any investigation.
Later, the commanding officer of the Second Arunachal Scouts, accompanied by the major and obver 100 soldiers, reportedly visited the station and insulted the officer in charge. Banthia claimed the soldiers, armed with light machine guns, vandalised the station and police vehicles. They also allegedly assaulted Swaroop and Bainthia.
Defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Harsh Wardhan Pande accused the police of beating up two soldiers who had been taken into custody. “They were severely beaten up in the police lock up despite they informing them that they are from Indian Army,” Pande said.
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