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India: Army orders inquiry into Kashmir civilian deaths

December 27, 2023

Indian officials pledged to investigate the alleged deaths of three civilians in military custody in Kashmir. The reports of deaths and torture come after rebels attacked an Indian army vehicle, killing four soldiers.

https://p.dw.com/p/4ad65
Political Parties of Kashmir valley stage protest against alleged death of three civilians in border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. The three people were found dead under mysterious circumstances on 22 December evening, at the same place where four soldiers were killed and three others injured in a militant attack on 21 December
Civilian deaths prompted protests in KashmirImage: Firdous Nazir /Eyepix Group/IMAGO

India's army has launched an investigation into the alleged deaths of three civilians which had been taken into military custody in the disputed territory of Kashmir.

Police confirmed that the three men were among a group of eight detained by the army in Poonch, close to the frontier that divides the Himalayan territory between India and Pakistan.

Residents in the area said the civilians had been detained for questioning after militants ambushed Indian army vehicles in woodland in Poonch en route to an army outpost last Thursday, killing four soldiers.

"The army has ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate the circumstances which led to the deaths of three civilians," a senior police official in Kashmir is quoted as telling the news agency AFP, on the condition of anonymity.

Internet services were shut off in Poonch and neighbouring Rajouri district after the attack on Indian soldiers.

Why India jailed hundreds of Kashmiri prisoners out of state

The ambush was the fifth major attack on Indian troops in recent months in the region. The attacks claimed the lives of 24 security force personnel.

Video of apparent abuse shared on social media

During the weekend, footage purporting to show Indian soldiers physically abusing some of the detainees was published and shared widely on social media.

Mohammad Ashraf, 52, told the Indian Express newspaper that he and the other detainees were stripped, beaten and had their open wounds smeared with chili powder.

Three army officers had been moved from their usual roles while the investigation was underway.

India has more than 500,000 troops permanently stationed in Muslim-majority Kashmir. The country's government, just like India's archrival Pakistan, claims the divided territory in full.

Each country currently controls parts of Kashmir, which has been the scene of violence for many decades.

mds/dj (AFP/Reuters)