Army’s Internal Probe Highlights Procedural Lapses in Poonch Civilian Deaths

The army ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths following allegations that the civilians died in its custody.

An internal inquiry by the army into the deaths of three civilians allegedly during interrogation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district in December last year is learnt to have indicated some procedural lapses, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The army ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths following allegations that the civilians died in its custody. The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21.

The civilians, aged between 27 and 42, were found dead on December 22. The probe indicated some procedural lapses on the part of a few personnel, the people cited above said, without elaborating.

When asked about the probe, the army said the proceedings relating to the alleged incident are still in progress. “The Indian Army is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial inquiry to ascertain the facts surrounding this incident,” it said.

“All efforts are in place to ensure that the investigations are fair, comprehensive and conclusive. Further actions will be taken based on the outcome of the investigations and finalisation of the proceedings,” it said.

The army said it is “committed to upholding the highest standards of discipline, conduct and ethics, in accordance with the law, besides maintaining zero tolerance towards any human rights violations”. “Our protocols and procedures are designed to ensure that all personnel adhere to these principles, even under the most challenging operational conditions,” it said.

Following the deaths, the relatives of the deceased and political leaders alleged that they died due to “custodial torture” as they were among the eight people picked up by the Army for questioning.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police had also launched an investigation into the deaths. Source