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Jammu and Kashmir Minister of State for Food Supplies Bashir Ahmed Nengroo lost two teeth and suffered minor bruises on Monday after allegedly being roughed up by soldiers near the heavily guarded Badami Bagh cantonment while on his way home.
Nengroo, the ruling National Conference candidate from Pulwama, was travelling in his private car when he was stopped by soldiers at Pathan Chowk, the first drop gate on the road running parallel to the army headquarters at Badami Bagh, police sources said.
The minister got into an argument with soldiers after he defied their orders to park his car in a queue and instead tried to overtake other vehicles while making his way to Srinagar from Pulwama, they said.
Nengroo suffered injuries to his mouth and nose and his son, who tried to intervene, also received some blows, the sources said.
Some policemen rushed to the scene and rescued the minister and took him to a hospital, the sources said.
The army is handling the flow of traffic between Sonawar and Pantha Chowk ever since militants carried out a suicide attack on the Badami Bagh cantonment some years back. Barricades have been erected at Sonawar and Panthan Chowk with vehicles being allowed to pass only after thorough checking.
When contacted, a defence spokesman said the minister, who was personally driving the car, did not respond to a sentry's signal to stop at the checkpoint. As a matter of routine, the sentry then stopped the minister's car at gunpoint to ascertain his identity, the spokesman said.
The sentry asked the minister to follow the rules and stand in the queue, the spokesman said.
However, as soon as the minister disclosed his identity, the sentry informed higher ups and Sub-Area Commander Brig Parvinder Singh and Brig H S Sahgal reached the spot and resolved the issue 'amicably', he added.
The minister has a different version of the event.
"I told them that I am a minister and an NC candidate and had to return to my home. However, they did not listen and an army officer came out with four guards and threatened me with dire consequences," Nengroo told rediff.com.
"One soldier hit me with his rifle butt on my face and I lost two teeth. I was also hit and punched," he claimed.
"My son, a student of the army school, came out of the car and pleaded with the soldiers to leave us. He too was beaten. One soldier hit him below the eyeball causing a swelling," said Nengroo.
"Another kicked my servant Mushtaq Ahmad who was travelling with me. He is in hospital and was vomiting blood," he said.
Nengroo said that a senior army officer later reached the spot and it was on his intervention that 'we were allowed to leave the spot. I was later taken to a hospital'.
"If this is the plight of a minister, I don't know what must be that of the common citizen. The situation will never improve in the Kashmir valley if they continue to treat people like this," Nengroo said.
"I am public representative and they should not have treated me like this," said Nengroo. "Such incidents will only further alienate the Kashmiris."
With inputs from PTI
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