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Army moves out 3 officers after civilian deaths in J&K
The three civilians were among the nine people picked up by the army on December 22 from Topa Peer village for questioning
Jammu The India Army moved out three officers, including a brigadier, pending a probe into the custodial deaths of three civilians who were picked by the force for questioning after the December 21 ambush in which four soldiers were killed and another three injured, officials familiar with the matter said on Monday.
“While a court of inquiry stands instituted, the army has shifted the three officers including a brigadier, a colonel and a lieutenant colonel from Poonch”, the officials said, asking not to be named.
The three civilians were among the nine people picked up by the army on December 22 from Topa Peer village for questioning.
The army’s internal probe into the custodial deaths will be conducted at Akhnoor and various agencies will be part of it, including the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the officials said. While the army instituted a court of inquiry, the Jammu & Kashmir Police lodged an open FIR against “unknown” men of the army -- this has irked the families of the victims, who want the officers’ names mentioned in the FIR.
Accessed by the HT, the FIR was lodged at Surankote police station on December 22 evening, a day after the terror ambush.
The FIR, filed under Section 302 of the IPC, stated: “Today (22/12/2023) at about 17.25 hours (5.25 pm) an information was made available that after terror incident near DKG (Dera Ki Gali) on 21/12/2023, army troops were carrying out searches in the general area of Topi Peer, Sawani, Bafliaz to locate the terrorists, who escaped after the attack. During searches, army troops detained a few local youth for questioning.”
It added: “Reportedly three such youth namely Safeer Ahmed, son of Mir Hussain, caste Gujjar, Mohammad Showkat, son of Nazir Hussain and Shabir Ahmed, son of Wali Mohammad, all residents of village Topi Peer tehsil Surankote have succumbed to the injuries... As such cognizable offence under section 302 of the IPC is made out. On this information, instant case stands registered. As the instant case is of special nature of its kind from the said village and third of its kind during the current year, a special report will be submitted separately and investigation taken up. The details of accused; Name; Unknown.”
Mohammad Sadeeq, Panch of Topi Peer village and uncle of one of the three deceased, Mohammad Showkat said, “The FIR hasn’t named any accused. The officers and men of 48 RR committed these third-degree murders. We want their officers including the company commander to be named in the FIR.”
Sadeeq said that he knew the names of three army men, who on Friday morning had taken away the nine youth from the village.
“They are Jaggi, Ganesh and Mahi. May be their names are not real but they were called by these names in this area. Then, there were three police constables, who were present at the time of torture. They were constables Rafiq, Rasheed and Mustafa. They kept quiet to the third degree torture. We also want them to be booked in the FIR because they didn’t inform senior officials,” said Sadeeq.
Deceased Showkat’s cousin, Javed Ahmed said, aggrieved families want to know against whom the FIR has been lodged. “An open FIR is a mere eyewash.”
Javed recalled how in one of the two video clips the man pleading for his life while undergoing third degree torture and merciless assault by some men in uniform was his cousin Showkat.
“At least company commander of 48 RR should have been named in the FIR,” he asserted. The families were yet to get post-mortem reports of their kin.
The Indian Army on Saturday said it stands committed to extending “full support and cooperation” in the conduct of the investigation.
