‘When I lifted their clothes, I was numb’: As Army initiates probe into ‘torture’ of four men in custody, villagers recount efforts to hush up incident

But erstwhile the men did not instrumentality by evening, the colony turned anxious and a hunt began. When Irshad Ahmad, a carpenter and nonmigratory of the village, turned up astatine the gates of Army camp, helium saw the 4 men allegedly “dumped outside”, incapable to move.

“I called others truthful we could instrumentality them back,” Ahmad, who besides attended to them astatine the Army infirmary astatine Bhandarkote successful Kishtwar, told The Indian Express. “They were incapable to move. When I lifted their clothes, I was numb. They had been beaten ruthlessly; 2 of them vomited blood.”

After the alleged custodial torture of the 5 villagers successful Topa Pir successful Jammu’s Poonch territory past twelvemonth – 3 of the men died of injuries – this is the archetypal allegation of torture against the Army, forcing them to enactment swiftly and initiate a probe.

In a station connected X connected Thursday, the White Knight Corps, the authoritative societal media relationship of 16 Corps, Indian Army, wrote, “Based connected circumstantial quality of the determination of a radical of terrorists successful the Kishtwar Sector, an cognition was launched by Rashtriya Rifles connected November 20. There are immoderate reports connected the alleged ill-treatment of civilians during the behaviour of the operation. An probe is being launched to ascertain the facts. Necessary follow-up enactment volition beryllium ensured.”

When contacted, the Defence spokesperson successful Jammu said helium would stock much accusation aft getting updates from Kishtwar.

Kwath, a colony of implicit 250 households, is an hr and a fractional trek from the closest motorable road. The Army’s campy successful Chas falls connected different upland ridge, an hour-long trek from Kwath.

From Chas to Kwath, villagers accidental they took turns to transportation the 4 men – Mehraj-ud-din (40), Sajad Ahmad (33), Abdul Kabir (35) and Mushtaq Ahmad (36) – connected their shoulders. All 4 enactment arsenic labourers.

Dawood Ahmad, a resident, said that erstwhile they reached the village, they decided the men needed to beryllium hospitalised. Residents accidental this is astir the clip they got a telephone from the Army. “An serviceman called to accidental they volition resoluteness the issue,” Ahmad claimed.

The residents, however, decided to instrumentality the men to the Kishtwar infirmary for attraction connected their own. “We told them our archetypal precedence is to prevention their lives. They had been beaten achromatic and blue, connected their buttocks, legs, ribs and back,” said Ghulam Mohammad, Mehraj-ud-din’s father-in-law. “One of them was deed successful his eye.”

By the clip the residents reached the colony of Void, from wherever they were to committee the vehicles for the hospital, 2 colony defence guards (VDGs) approached them. “They told america not to property for an FIR and said they volition get the contented resolved,” Dawood claimed, adding that it was conveyed that the “brotherhood” would extremity if the villagers pursued the matter.

The villagers claimed they boarded 8 vehicles, lone to beryllium stopped again astatine Dadpeth, this clip by the police. “SHO sahib told america they volition admit the victims astatine Chatroo infirmary and instrumentality enactment against the Army,” Dawood claimed. “We told them that infirmary doesn’t person bully facilities and we volition instrumentality the men to Kishtwar hospital. They didn’t halt us.”

As they reached Bhandarkote, the villagers claim, the Army stopped their cavalcade and closed the roadworthy with barricades. “They asked america to admit the men astatine the Army infirmary there,” claimed Mohammad. “When we didn’t agree, they asked america to hold for their superior officer. They said they volition fto america spell lone if helium permits.”

The villagers accidental they near the vehicles down and again took the victims connected their shoulders. “Just erstwhile we crossed the barriers, the serviceman arrived. He went consecutive into the camp,” claimed Dawood. “As we tried to determination ahead, we received a telephone that helium wanted to conscionable us.”

“He (the officer) acknowledged we person been wronged and promised it would ne'er hap again,” claimed Bashir Ahmad, a erstwhile panch from Kwath, who led the talks. “He promised Rs 25,000 for each unfortunate and to carnivore the expenses of their families for 3 months oregon until they are capable to get backmost to work. He promised they would dainty them astatine the Army infirmary and, if needed, displacement them to Srinagar oregon Udhampur.”

The villagers accidental their legislator besides played a affirmative role. “When we called him, helium was successful Jammu. He sent his DDC to conscionable us. He called the constabulary and the Army and helium was online with america till 3 successful the night,” said Bashir.

Inderwal MLA P L Sharma, from J&K’s ruling National Conference, said Army officers assured him of action. “I intelligibly told them that it won’t enactment similar this,” helium said. “I told them that if you person to question somebody, you should telephone him to the constabulary station.”

The residents said they person nary grudges with the Army but privation enactment against those who allegedly tortured the men.

A constabulary serviceman called the incidental an “aberration” but said it should not person happened. “If they wanted to question the men, they should person called us,” helium said. “It could person turned into a large contented if elder officers had not intervened.”

According to sources, the men were summoned against the backdrop of the sidesplitting of a Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army and injuries to 3 soldiers successful the Chask country connected November 10. Days earlier, connected November 7, 2 colony defence guards were abducted and killed by militants successful the Keshwan forests of Kishtwar.

Villagers assertion the 4 men were asked if they had seen immoderate militants successful their village, and wherefore didn’t they pass the authorities “when militants offered Friday prayers successful the colony mosque”.

“This is untrue. If they (the Army) had accusation that militants were successful the mosque, wherefore didn’t they travel astatine that time,” said Dawood.