E-Paper
‘Poonch custodial deaths’: 25 days on, police record statements of seven family members
SHO Thappa said that police recorded statements under section 161 of the CrPC of few individuals related to the victims
Police on Tuesday recorded the statements of seven family members of three civilians who were allegedly “killed in army custody” last month and the five injured, 25 days after the incident.
The three civilians were allegedly killed in custody at 48 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) camp in Bafliaz on December 22 and five were injured as the army picked eight men for questioning, a day after armed terrorists ambushed two army vehicles at Dhatyar Morh in Poonch’s Surankote. While four soldiers had died in the attack, three others were injured.
“After 25 days, police finally initiated some exercise and recorded statements of seven individuals from Topa Peer village. The statements were recorded by Surankote station-house officer inspector Rajesh Thappa,” said Mohammad Sadeeq, 45, former panch of the village and uncle of Showkat Ali, one of the three civilians.
SHO Thappa said, “We recorded statements under section 161 of the CrPC of few individuals related to the victims. Some are yet to be recorded. The process is on.”
“The police recorded the statements of Irfan’s mother, Showkat Ali’s brother and mother-in-law, Shabir’s father and his widow, Safeer’s mother and his widow and Lal Hussain. The SHO visited the crime scene and made a map,” added Sadeeq.
The statements of the five injured men, however, will be recorded before a judge, he added.
“The FIR is registered under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code against unknown persons. They haven’t named the accused”, he alleged.
On December 22, J&K police had lodged an open FIR against “unknown” accused of the army at the Surankote police station.
The deceased were Safeer Hussain, 44, Showket Ali, 22, and Shabir Hussain, 32, all of Topa Peer.
Sadeeq alleged that army has not yet visited the village or recorded statements.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, during his December 27 meeting with the families of the dead men, had assured completion of the probe within a month.
The army has already instituted a court of inquiry.
A defence spokesperson said that the army’s court of inquiry remains a closed door affair till its conclusion, and did not comment on the delay in recording the statements.
“Once the court of inquiry is concluded, the findings, if intended by the army, would be shared in public domain,” he said.
