The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police on Sunday filed a murder case after three men apprehended by the Indian Army were found dead with several injuries on 22 December.
The incident occured after eight people were taken into custody in relation to an attack on an army convoy in the Poonch-Rajouri area on 21 December.
Attack on Army Convoy, Deaths in Custody
Four soldiers of the Indian Army were killed and another three injured in the attack on the army convoy near Topa Pir in the Poonch-Rajouri area. The convoy was on the way from Bafliaz in Poonch to Thanamandi in Rajouri, where a Rashtriya Rifles unit is located.
The terrorists who executed the ambush remain unidentified.
#Rights | J&K: Anger in #Poonch After Videos Allegedly Show Torture of Three Civilians In Army Questioning
— The Wire (@thewire_in) December 23, 2023
News agencies say the internet has been shut down in the district.@tarushi_aswani✍️https://t.co/GDOqcNL0bs
A 29-second video clip showing some persons, alleged to be army jawans, stripping three apprehended men and sprinkling chilly powder on them, went viral on social media, leading to a high-level intervention.
Following the furore over the incident, the army has ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) to investigate the circumstances leading to the deaths of three civilians and injuries to five others who were taken into custody.
Safeer Hussain, Mohammad Showket, and Shabir Ahmad were the three civilians found dead.
The five injured, all of whom are locals from the tribal Gujjar Bakkarwal community, have been hospitalised due to severe injuries.
According to the Indian Express, the CoI will investigate the circumstances of the civilian deaths, which allegedly happened during questioning by security forces.
In accordance with Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to murder and attempted murder, an FIR has been filed against “unknown” individuals at the Surankote police station in Poonch.
Compensation Announced, Army Officials Shifted
The burial of the dead civilians took place on Saturday.
The administration restricted inter-district movement between Bafliaz in Poonch and the Thanamandi side of Dehra Ki Gali in Rajouri.
Mobile internet services were also suspended in the two border districts.
While the J&K administration did not comment on the cause of the death, it announced compensation and jobs for the kin of the three civilians found dead.
On Saturday, the J&K administration stated that “medicolegal formalities were conducted, and legal action in this matter” has been started by the “appropriate authority.”
Saying that the matter was under investigation, the army expressed its commitment to “extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations.”
According to The Tribune, the army has shifted a Brigadier, a Colonel, and a Lieutenant Colonel, stationed in Rajouri after the incident.
The Indian Express also reported that a change of command at various levels is likely to take place in XVI Corps. Further, the area is likely to see an increase in deployment.
The attack on the army has been attributed to the little-known rebel group Peoples Anti-Fascist Front, which authorities allege is the proxy of the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad.