Three men picked up for questioning in connection with the Thursday terror attack on an army convoy were found dead and their families alleged they were killed in custody, prompting the Indian Army to commit to an investigation into the matter.
The three civilians were among nine taken from Topa Peer village and the relatives of the deceased alleged that the three men were tortured in custody.
The bodies of Safeer Hussain, 44, Showket Ali, 22, and Shabir Hussain, 32, were found on Friday near the site of the terrorist ambush on two army vehicles, which left four soldiers dead.
The incident prompted protests in the district and as tensions rose, the state government said a probe had been initiated and the families of the victims will be given compensation.
READ | 4 civilians killed in suspected terror attack in J&K’s Rajouri
“Reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths in the area. The matter is under investigation. Indian Army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations,” the additional directorate general of public information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Mohammad Sadeeq, whose 22-year-old nephew Showket was among the deceased, said that at around 9.30am on Friday, the army picked up nine men from the village and taken to the Army’s Mal post, around 2km from the village, and then shifted to Bafliaz post.
“I made frantic calls through the day to the Poonch deputy magistrate Choudhary Mohammad Yasin, SSP Vinay Kumar, a deputy SP of the area and various DDC members informing them about the development. I told them that the men have been detained and that they were being tortured,” said the 45-year-old village head said.
Around 4pm on the same day, Sadeeq said, they were informed of the deaths of the three men.
“They were given third degree torture at the army post,” he alleged.
READ | J&K govt announces compensation, jobs to kin of 3 civilians found dead in Poonch
The bodies of the three men bore signs of torture, Sadeeq said. “They were tortured with acid and chilly powder. They were also electrocuted,” he alleged, adding that he has shared two videos of the alleged torture with officials.
“The death of three civilians was reported yesterday in Bafliaz of Poonch District. The medico legal formalities were conducted and legal action in this matter has been initiated by the appropriate authority,” the information and PR department of Jammu and Kashmir said in a post on X.
“Government has announced compensation for each of the deceased. Further Government has also announced compassionate appointments to the next of kin of each deceased,” it said.
Two videos of the alleged tortured surfaced on social media on Friday in which some men in army uniforms can be seen abusing the detained men, beating them up with sticks besides throwing chilly powder on them. HT could not verify the authenticity of the videos.
Around 8am on Saturday morning, the bodies of the three men were handed over to their families after post-mortem examination at an army camp, officials said.
“The bodies were handed over to us at 8am today. We are going to bury them today but we demand justice,” Sadeeq said.
The three men were shepherds with no involvement in Thursday’s ambush or any other terror activities, the relatives of the deceased said.
“We want the army to give us the evidence of their involvement in any terror activity,” Sadeeq said.
Meanwhile, tension mounted in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. Authorities suspended mobile Internet services in the two districts as a precautionary measure to check rumour-mongering and prevent any law-and-order problem, and senior administrative and police officers have been camping in the area to monitor the situation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police is also preparing an inquest report under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which gives powers to police to inquire and submit a report to executive magistrate when a person has died under circumstances raising a reasonable suspicion that some other person has committed an offence, officials said.
This may lead to the registration of a case in the matter, the officials said.
Officials said four other civilians — Mohd Zulfkar, his brother Mohd Betab, Fazal Hussain and Mohd Farooq — were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Rajouri with alleged torture injuries.
Four soldiers were killed and two injured when heavily armed terrorists ambushed two Army vehicles at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bafliaz on Thursday. The ambush took place when the security personnel were moving to an ongoing search operation in the general area of Dhera Ki Gali in the Thanamandi-Surankote region.
Several political parties staged protests and demanded an impartial probe into the death of three civilians.
A BJP leader said the J&K administration’s prompt action in providing compensation and jobs to the kin of the deceased civilians demonstrates its commitment to address the concerns of affected families.
Senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami expressed grief over the death of three civilians and demanded an impartial probe into the circumstances leading to their death.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the incident and demanded that the administration release a compensation of ₹50 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and ₹5 lakh each to the injured.
Scores of activists of the National Conference and the Apni Party tried to take out protest rallies but were stopped by police from leaving their respective party offices.
With agency inputs