J&K: Army orders probe into deaths of 3 civilians
New Delhi: The Army has ordered a thorough internal investigation into the deaths of three civilians in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir following allegations that they died in its custody, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The three civilians were allegedly picked up by the Army for questioning in the wake of the killing of four Army jawans in an ambush by unidentified terrorists in Poonch on December 21. The three civilians, aged between 27 and 42, were found dead on December 22.
Their relatives and political leaders have alleged that the three died due to “custodial torture” as they were among the eight people picked up by the Army for questioning.
A thorough investigation has been ordered into it (the deaths of the civilians) as part of the standard operating procedure, the people cited above said.
The Jammu and Kashmir police are also probing the deaths.
The Army on Saturday said it stands committed to extending “full support and cooperation” in the conduct of investigation.
In the aftermath of the recent terror attack that left five soldiers dead, a high level team of police and civil officers on Sunday assured enhanced security arrangements in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir.
The assurance was given by the Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Vijay Kumar during an interaction with various civil society delegations in the Poonch district, the officials said.
Accompanied by Jammu Inspector General of Police Anand Jain and Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch range, Haseeb Mughal, the divisional commissioner and the ADGP visited Poonch to assess the security situation following the Thursday’s ambush on Army vehicles in Dera Ki Gali area of Surankote, the officials said.
The officials said the divisional commissioner assured local communities of enhanced security arrangements and revamped plan of action to ensure there would be no terror-related incident in the district.
The divisional commissioner also assured the residents of fair treatment and compensation to all the victims of militancy-related incidents, they said.
They said the divisional commissioner assured that the Lt Governor-led administration is committed towards maintaining peace and providing a sense of complete security in all districts of the Jammu region, especially the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri.A detailed discussion on various security-related aspects was conducted with Deputy Commissioner Poonch Yasin M Choudhary and SSP Poonch Vinay Kumar wherein ADGP (Law and order) along with divisional commissioner issued a slew of instructions for further improving security scenario in the district, the officials said. They said the local delegations appreciated the prompt response of LG administration in tackling issues of vital security interest in the district and assured complete support to the administration in dealing with militancy and related incidents.
