Fresh Allegations of Torture Surface in Poonch, 5 Civilians Claim Unreported Torture, Officials Probe for Evidence
All are residents of Topa Pir village in Poonch and were admitted to another hospital on the night of December 22 and discharged on January 13.
A day after the December 21 terror attack in Poonch on an Army convoy in which four soldiers were killed, eight civilians were picked up and allegedly tortured by security forces — three of them died, five were admitted for treatment at Government Medical Hospital, Rajouri. There were five more civilians who have alleged torture and detention, The Indian Express has confirmed.
All are residents of Topa Pir village in Poonch and were admitted to another hospital on the night of December 22 and discharged on January 13.
They slipped under the official radar amid high-profile visits by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Army Chief Manoj Pande, both of whom flagged the excesses and assured the families of justice.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police is learnt to have asked the Army to provide medical records of these five men, identified as: Riaz (25) and his brother Farooq (19), Israel (20), Jameel (18), and Irfan (18).
Said a senior police officer: “Their records are needed as the injured have to be produced before a judicial magistrate to record their statements as part of the enquiry into the death of three civilians… These five are eyewitnesses since they were picked up alongside the three from Topa Pir who died.”
Wazir Hussian, the father of Riaz and Farooq, told The Indian Express that his family had received, for each son, Rs 2.5 lakh in compensation – Rs 1 lakh from the civil administration and Rs 1.5 lakh from the Army when the men were discharged.
The former sarpanch of Topa Pir, Mehmood Bhat, confirmed that he had helped the families get the cheques from the civil administration.
The Army spokesperson did not respond to queries about the five men.
The ambush of the Army convoy took place on Mughal road between Dehra Ki Gali and Bufliaz. The next morning, eight civilians were picked up from Topa Pir in Poonch district’s Bufliaz area, and five from Rajouri district’s Thanamandi area.
Of the eight taken away from Topa Pir, three – Shabir Ahmed (30), Safeer Ahmed (45) and Mohammad Showkat (22) – died of injuries sustained during the alleged torture. The others were taken to a hospital after villagers pleaded with the administration that they would die if they don’t get medical attention.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Israel, one of the five picked up from Topa Pir, said that he got a call asking him to report to an Army outpost around 11.30 am on December 22. He alleged that he was stripped and beaten with lathis and iron rods until he fell unconscious.
He said Showkat, Shabir, Safeer and Riaz were already at the camp, while Farooq, Jameel and Irfan were brought there later. “Every time we fell unconscious, they would drag us out of the room and pour water on us before taking us back in,” he alleged, adding that the “torture” continued until they were shifted to an Army camp where he regained consciousness at night.
“When I opened my eyes, I saw some Army officials. They asked me not to worry as they were shifting us to a hospital,” Israel said, adding that they were finally admitted around midnight.
Israel, too, said each of them was paid Rs 1 lakh each by the Poonch District Collector, and Rs 1.5 by the Army the day they were discharged.
Wazir Hussain alleged his sons’ skin had darkened due to the assault. He said he purchased clothes and shoes for them from Surankote before visiting them at the hospital as the men had been stripped before being tortured, and had no clothes on them when they arrived there. “Whatever they are wearing at the hospital was provided to them by others,” he added.
On December 27, Defence Minister Singh along with Chief of Army Staff, General Pande, visited Rajouri and met the families of the deceased civilians. The Defence Minister had, as per the families of the three men, assured them of justice.
Addressing troops the same day, Singh had also said that while fulfilling the responsibility of defending the nation, “you also have a bigger responsibility of winning the hearts of your countrymen on your shoulders”.
Rajnath had also met the five men, picked up from Thanamandi, at GMC, Rajouri. The five, discharged between January 2 and January 6, were identified as: Mohammad Ashraf (52), Farooq Ahmed (45), Fazal Hussain (50), Hussain’s nephews Mohammad Betab (25), and another aged 15. They have received Rs 3 lakh each as compensation.
The J&K administration had announced compensation of Rs 20 lakh each for the families of the deceased, a plot of land and a government job for a family member. The Army provided a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. Source
