Following the Poonch attack, three out of the eight civilians who were picked up for questioning were found dead near the site of the dastardly attack on the Indian Army that left four soldiers dead.
The civilians were found dead on Friday night in the Topa Pir area, leading to a huge outrage in the region. On Thursday evening, four Army soldiers were killed and three others were injured when militants ambushed two Army vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district. The People’s Anti-Fascist Front or PAFF, an offshoot of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), has claimed responsibility for the Poonch terror ambush.
The three civilians who were dead were 48-year-old Safeer Ahmed, and his two cousins and co-villagers Mohammad Showkat, 28, and Shabir Ahmed, 25, reported The Indian Express. His brother, who is a Head Constable in the Border Security Force, told IE, “This is the prize we have got for working for the nation.”
Noor said that the family came to know about his brother’s death through a phone call by a DySP level police officer Friday evening. He claimed his brother had been working for various agencies (involved in counter insurgency operations).
Villagers alleged that the deceased had torture marks all over their body. Relatives of those injured told IE that the injured were left on the roadside in the night.
The Indian Army on Saturday said that it will cooperate with the probe of the civilians from Jammu and Kashmir.
“Reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths in the area,” the Army said in a social media post. “The matter is under investigation. Indian Army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations.”
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has so far not commented on the cause of the deaths. On Saturday, in a post on X, the Department of Information and Public Relations, J&K, said, “The death of three civilians was reported yesterday in Baffliaz of Poonch District. The medico legal formalities were conducted and legal action in this matter has been initiated by the appropriate authority.”
The government has also announced compensation and also announced “compassionate appointments” to the next of kin of each deceased.
Five other civilians – Fazal Hussain, 45, his nephews Mohammad Mehtab, 25, and Zulfikar, 14, besides Farooq Ahmed and Mohammad Arshad – were hospitalised in Rajouri.
Following reports of the deaths of the three civilians, Jammu Kashmir National Conference Vice-President Omar Abdullah said, “If the allegations of custodial killings are correct this is an unacceptable misuse of force & the protection afforded to security forces via AFSPA.”
“Even asking for a transparent inquiry & punishment for any violations of human rights seems pointless given how those who are found guilty are released scot-free without serving their punishment. This is not the way to remove “dil ki doori or Dilli se doori”,” he added.