Three Civilians Found Dead with Torture Marks in Indian Administered Kashmir

Srinagar, India, Dec 23, (EFE).- In a disturbing turn of events, three civilians were discovered dead with visible signs of torture on their bodies, mere hours after being rounded up by the army for questioning regarding a militant attack in the Poonch area of Indian administered Kashmir on Saturday.

While officials have described the deaths as “mysterious,” local residents have labeled them as “custodial killings.”

Local residents allege that the Indian army apprehended at least eight civilians on Friday for questioning, following a militant ambush that claimed the lives of five Indian soldiers and left two injured in the Thanamandi area of the frontier district.

The bodies of the three civilians, identified as Safeer Hussain (43), Mohammad Showkat (27), and Shabir Ahmad (32), all residents of Topa Peer village, were discovered near the site of the gunfight early Saturday.

According to eyewitnesses, armed personnel killed the three civilians at a nearby military camp and subsequently disposed of their bodies near the gunfight location.

Eyewitnesses who saw the deceased individuals informed EFE that the bodies exhibited signs of severe torture.

Furthermore, they claimed that the remaining five individuals detained by the security forces also suffered torture and are currently receiving medical treatment.

In response to the circulation of viral videos depicting the torture of detained civilians on social media, internet services in Poonch and Rajouri districts have been suspended.

While authorities remain tight-lipped about the situation, a police official, in conversation with EFE, stated that mobile internet services have been suspended as a “precautionary measure to combat the spread of rumors” and to prevent any potential “law and order problems.”

Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the region, expressed concern, asserting that nobody is secure in Kashmir under the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The BJP, which claims Kashmir to be peaceful, has failed to provide security for both the security forces and civilians in the region,” Mehbooba stated in response to the Poonch incidents.

India and Pakistan, neighboring countries, administer different parts of Kashmir while claiming the territory in its entirety.

Since 1989, Indian Kashmir has been plagued by an armed insurgency, which New Delhi attributes to support from Islamabad.

The conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, predominantly civilians.

Authorities maintain that they have nearly eradicated militancy since the revocation of the region’s semi-autonomous status in August 2019.

However, the frontier districts of Rajouri and Poonch have witnessed several deadly militant attacks in the past two years. EFE

sa/sc