“There were torture marks on his body. What kind of justice is this? He died of excessive torture,” Noor Ahmad, brother of Safer Hussain, said.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — The army has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of three civilians, allegedly during questioning by security forces in Pooch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
The three casualties were from eight civilians picked up by security forces on Friday morning in connection with a deadly rebel attack in Poonch. The three were found dead at night, leading to huge outrage in the region, reports reaching here on Monday said.
The remaining five civilians were admitted with injuries to a government hospital in Rajouri. The eight, their relatives alleged, had been tortured during questioning.
According to the families, the three men — Mohammad Showkat, 22, Safeer Hussain, 45, and Shabir Ahmad, 32 — were detained by the army at the hilly Topa Pir village in Poonch district.
The families say they were shocked after the police called them later in the night to take back the bodies of their relatives.
“There were torture marks on his body. What kind of justice is this? He died of excessive torture,” Noor Ahmad, brother of Safer Hussain, was quoted by media reports as saying.
Ahmad said the army took his brother Safeer away in front of his wife and parents.
“The government has announced jobs and compensation for us. But we want justice, those who killed these innocent people should be punished. My brother has four children.
“I cannot express in words how much grief we feel, no money in the world can fill that. The government will give us everything but our wounds will not heal,” he was quoted as saying.
“I have served in the Indian army for 32 years, is this what we get in return?” Ahmad, who works with Border Security Forces (BSF) in the northern state of Rajasthan, said.
All three victims belong to a tribal community known as Gujjar, who traditionally lead a pastoral life in the mountain areas of Kashmir.
The J&K Police have also registered an FIR at the Surankote police station in Poonch against “unknown” persons under IPC sections relating to murder and attempt to murder in connection with the three deaths and injuries to five others.
Four army personnel were killed and another three injured Thursday in the ambush near Topa Pir while they were on their way from Bafliaz in Poonch to Thanamandi in Rajouri where a Rashtriya Rifles unit is located.
Reports said the bodies of two soldiers were found mutilated. Despite extensive cordon and search operations launched by the army, the militants have not been traced so far.
While the J&K administration did not comment on the cause of the death of the three civilians, it said legal action had been initiated and compensation announced. The army said the matter was under investigation, and that it was “committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations”.
The army’s internal probe will be conducted by a separate formation based in Akhnoor – it’s also part of the Nagrota-based XVI Corps which is responsible for areas south of the Pir Panjal range – and will include other agencies like the Jammu and Kashmir Police to ensure impartiality, a report in The Indian Express said.
The fast-track probe is likely to be completed in 72 hours and will also likely involve the investigation into the ambush.
