J&K L-G hands over job letters to relatives of three civilians killed in army custody in Poonch

Jammu Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday handed over government job appointment letters to the next of kin of three civilians, who were allegedly killed in army custody following an ambush by the terrorists in Poonch district in December last year.

An official spokesperson said that allotment orders of land measuring one kanal each were also handed over to the families for residential purpose.

On December 21 last year, four soldiers were killed and three others injured when the terrorists ambushed two army vehicles at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz.

Three civilians -- Safeer Ahmed (43), Mohd Showkat Ali (27) and Shabir Ahmad (32) -- were picked up by the army for questioning following the ambush and they were found dead the next day.

The lieutenant governor-led administration had on February 23 announced compensation and jobs to the next of kin of the slain civilians.

The lieutenant governor handed over the appointment orders under SRO-43 to the next of kin of the civilians killed in Poonch, the spokesman said.

He said the appointment orders were handed over to Safeer Ahmed's wife Zareena Begum, Showkat Ali's brother Mohd Razaq and Shabir Ahmad's brother Mohd Kabir -- all residents of a village in Bufliaz area of Surankote.

The lieutenant governor assured the family members of all possible support from his administration in the future, the spokesman said, adding Poonch Deputy Commissioner Choudhary Mohd Yasin was also present on the occasion.

The killing of the three civilians sparked an outrage and the army acted promptly and initiated a court of inquiry into the alleged torture and subsequent death of the three civilians.

A brigadier-level officer, in-charge of the Surankote belt, was immediately shifted and the army also assured action against officers of the unit concerned, while the police have registered a murder case against the army unit.

In January, the army also announced its decision to adopt Topa Peer, the village of the deceased civilians, and transform it into a model village as part of a major outreach initiative.

Accompanied by Army Chief Manoj Pande and Lieutenant Governor Sinha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met the families of the killed civilians during his visit to Rajouri district on December 27 last year and assured justice.

Two days earlier, the army chief during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir exhorted the commanders on ground to conduct the operations in the “most professional manner”.