New Delhi: “I have served in the forces for 32 years, my brother’s death is the reward for my loyalty” says Noor Ahmed, brother of a civilian who was among the eight people reportedly picked up by the Army for questioning on Friday (December 22).
Ahmed’s brother, Safeer, along with Mohammad Showket and Shabir Ahmad, were found dead near the site of an attack by militants in Poonch district’s Topa Peer village. The gunfight left five soldiers dead and two injured on December 21.
Topa Peer’s locals claim that it was in connection with this attack that soldiers from 48 Rashtriya Rifles picked up at least eight civilians on Friday for questioning.
For Noor Ahmed, all the awards he has achieved during three decades of service mean nothing now.
“My younger brother Safeer has suffered violence; my faith is shaken. Top officials have visited our homes, given us compensation, assured justice, but will we ever get it? My 43-year-old brother has left behind four children, who will raise them?” he told The Wire.
Ahmed also said, “I have served across India, have been a part of the intelligence services; if this can happen to us, how can anyone else be safe?”
Mehmood Ahmed, the village’s sarpanch, said that all three civilians belonged to poverty-stricken families and lived hand to mouth.
“They were all from the Gujjar tribal community, from families just trying to make ends meet; even their lives have been proven to be cheap” Ahmed said.
Ahmed revealed that there is a growing sense of fear as well as loss among locals now that their own neighbours have been returned dead bodies bearing marks of torture and harassment.
He told The Wire how the other five detainees were allegedly beaten so brutally that they were taken to an army hospital.
For many, it brought back memories of the Amshipora fake encounter, where a tribunal suspended the sentence of and granted bail to the Army captain who was awarded life imprisonment by an Army court for killing three men in a staged gunfight in southern Kashmir’s Shopian district in July 2020.
After videos supposedly showing the torture of the detained civilians spread online, details of their harassment, pain their death has triggered massive protests in Srinagar.
The videos purportedly from the questioning and torture show chilli powder being drizzled onto the backs of those held captive before them being thrashed brutally.
This has drawn a strong reaction – both anger and flak – from J&K’s political parties, with the JKNC demanding a judicial probe into the matter and the JKPDP demanding that the families be given compensation worth Rs 50 lakh.
The Wire also contacted Dr Haseeb Mughal, deputy inspector general of police in the Rajouri-Poonch range, who refused to comment on the matter and suggested that government announcements be followed for more information.
While senior police officials visited the village and supervised the burials, locals are wary of any situation that may increase tensions in the area.
Local officials said police would investigate the incident and take appropriate action.
Authorities cut internet services on smart devices in Poonch and Rajouri on Saturday morning, the Associated Press news agency reported.
The government’s information department wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that after medical formalities, legal action “has been initiated by the appropriate authority” into the killings, without offering explanation.
It said authorities also announced financial assistance to the victims’ families.
Since the abrogation of Article 370, Jammu’s Rajouri and Poonch have seen major attacks against the Army – especially in the past two years.
At least 35 soldiers have been killed in such attacks which have caused widespread fear, anger and anxiety in the region.
