SRINAGAR: Amidst rising tensions in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian army has launched an investigation into the brutal killing of three Kashmiri civilians who were taken into military custody following an attack on soldiers, police said on Tuesday as reported by AFP news agency.
The incident took place in Poonch. Last week, a group of eight persons was detained by the Indian army.
A senior police official in Kashmir, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that a Court of Inquiry has been ordered by the army to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the three Kashmiri civilians. Internet services were immediately shut down in Poonch and the neighboring Rajouri district in the aftermath of the attack on Indian soldiers.
Indian Army Brutalities on Kashmiri Civilians
Over the weekend, social media circulated footage showing Indian soldiers physically abusing the detainees. One man among those detained, identified as Mohammad Ashraf, 52, claimed in an interview with the Indian Express that he appeared in the viral video. Ashraf alleged that he and the other detainees were subjected to stripping, beatings, and the painful application of chilli powder to their open wounds.
Three army officers have been transferred from their posts, according to reports. The five remaining Kashmiri civilians detained by the military sustained critical injuries and are currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Rajouri.
Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande visited Poonch on Monday, instructing commanders to conduct operations “in the most professional manner,” according to an army statement that did not address the allegations.
