JAMMU: According to official sources on Monday, the Army has opened a Court of Inquiry and police have filed a murder case against unidentified individuals for the deaths of three civilians who were apprehended by the force and questioned after three soldiers were killed in a terrorist attack in Poonch recently. A related development is that three officers of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles are facing legal action, and a brigadier-level officer was moved. The Army has taken serious note of the incident, which sparked outrage and allegations of torture during detention. On December 21, in the Surankote area of Poonch, terrorists ambushed the soldiers’ vehicles at Dhatyar Morh, between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz, resulting in their deaths.After the attack, the Army reportedly picked up three civilians, ages 27 to 42, for questioning; they were discovered dead on December 22. Social media users shared videos that appeared to depict their torment. “Search operations by the security forces are continuing in the area of operations after the incident of December 21,” the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) stated in a post on X on December 23. There have been three reported civilian deaths in the region. An investigation is being conducted into the matter. The Indian Army is dedicated to offering its complete assistance and collaboration in carrying out the inquiries.The Army has opened a Court of Inquiry into the suspected torture and subsequent deaths of the three civilians, according to the sources, who are carrying out their investigation. According to the sources, a brigadier-level officer who was overseeing the Surankote belt was moved, and other officers in the unit in question will also face consequences. In October, the Army’s counter-insurgency unit made headlines for the wrong reasons when one of its major-rank officers exploded grenades inside the Neeli post camp near Thanamandi, wounding five people, including three officers. According to the sources, police have also filed a case against an unidentified accused army personnel under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with murder. “…after terror incident at DKG on December 21, army troops carried out searches in Topa Peer in buffliaz for the terrorists who escaped after the attack. A few local youth were detained by Army troops during searches and questioned; three of these youth, Safeer Ahmad, Mohd Showkat, and Shabir Ahmad, reportedly died as a result of their injuries. Thus, a section 302 IPC cognizable offence is established. Based on this data, a case is immediately registered. An official stated, citing the FIR, “As the current case is of a unique nature, a special report will be submitted separately as investigation is taken up.”A relative of one of the deceased, Mohd Sadiq, claimed that three men were picked up by the troops in full view of the public, escorted by policemen Mohd Rashid and Mohd Rafiq and their sources, Jagi and Ganesh. “We want names of the concerned Army major, policemen and the army sources to be included in the FIR besides immediate shifting of the Rashtriya Rifles camp,” he stated, adding that “innocent persons were killed in cold blood and we want justice for them”
