Army orders probe into deaths of three civilians in J&K's Poonch

The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the Army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four Army jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21.

Srinagar: Amid allegations of 'custodial killings' of three civilians in border Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, the army has ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths, news agency PTI reported.

The three civilians were picked up by the Army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four Army soldiers in an ambush attack by terrorists in Dera-Ke-Gali area of Poonch on December 21 and their bodies were found the next day.

The families of the three tribal men, Safeer Hussain, Mohammed Showkat and Shabir Ahmed, all residents of Topa village in Poonch and political leaders in Kashmir alleged that they were tortured to death by the Army.

All three victims belong to a tribal community known as Gujjar, who traditionally lead a pastoral life in the mountain areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The sarpanch of Topa, Mehmood Ahmed, said that the slain persons were among eight persons who were detained from their residences in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the Army.

Noor Ahmad, brother of Safer Hussain, alleged that there were torture marks on his body. “What kind of justice is this? He died of excessive torture,” he said.

In the backdrop of the allegations, a thorough investigation has been ordered into the deaths of the civilians as part of the standard operating procedure, the PTI reported.

The Jammu and Kashmir police are also probing the deaths which triggered protests in parts of Poonch and Srinagar on Saturday.

Purported videos of Army men sprinkling chili powder on the private parts of civilians lying on the floor had surfaced on social media. They were reportedly identified by the villagers as the men who were detained by the Army.

However, the veracity of the video could not be independently confirmed.