Anger in remote parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir after 3 are killed while in army custody
- The Indian army detained at least eight civilians after rebels fighting against Indian rule ambushed two army vehicles in the southern Poonch district
- Locals districts accuse army personnel of torturing the three civilians to death in a nearby military camp and say the bodies bore marks of severe torture
Anger spread in some remote parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir after three civilians were killed while in army custody, officials and residents said on Saturday. This comes two days after a militant ambush killed four soldiers.
Locals said the Indian army detained at least eight civilians on Friday for questioning, a day after rebels fighting against Indian rule ambushed two army vehicles in the southern Poonch district, killing four soldiers and wounding three others.
The districts of Poonch and Rajouri are close to the highly militarised line of control that divides the disputed Himalayan region between India and Pakistan.
Locals accused army personnel of torturing the three to death in a nearby military camp. The bodies were later handed to the local police, who in turn contacted the families. Residents said the bodies bore marks of severe torture.
The five other detainees were taken to an army hospital after they were severely tortured, their families said.
Mohammed Younis, a resident, said soldiers came to his Topa Peer village in Poonch district on Friday morning and detained nine villagers, including his two brothers and a cousin. An elderly man was let go, he said, but the others were ruthlessly beaten and electrocuted.
“My two brothers and a cousin are badly hurt due to torture. They are being treated in an army hospital,” Younis said after seeing one of his brothers.
Videos reportedly showing the torture of detained civilians spread online hours after their incarceration, triggering widespread anger.