SRINAGAR: Political parties in Jammu and Kashmir staged protests on Saturday, urging an impartial investigation into the deaths of three civilians allegedly detained by the Army in the Poonch area for questioning.
The deceased, Safeer Hussain, 43, Mohammad Showket, 27, and Shabir Ahmad, 32, were part of the eight individuals picked up by the Army in connection with Thursday’s attack.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration announced compensation and jobs for the families of the three civilians found dead near the site of an anti-militancy operation in Poonch district.
Mehbooba Mufti, president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claimed that 15 people were taken in by the Army for questioning, with three fatalities and the others seriously injured.
“After the Poonch incident, 15 people were picked up by the Army for questioning from Topa Peer village, out of which bodies of three bearing injury marks were found near the encounter site. The remaining 12 persons are admitted to different hospitals and are in critical condition,” Mehbooba said at a press conference at the party headquarters on Saturday.
The former chief minister of J-K demanded that the administration provide Rs 50 lakh each as compensation for the families of the three deceased.
“I request the Lieutenant Governor that till the time an inquiry is done into the matter, the three families be provided with a relief of Rs 50 lakh each and the injured admitted to hospitals be provided Rs 5 lakh each. Their families are very poor,” she said.
She also referred to a video purportedly showing Army personnel mistreating some suspects.
“I also watched a video that shows Armymen thrashing people and spraying red chilli powder on their wounds. It is a heart-wrenching video, however, I do not know about its authenticity,” Mehbooba said.
Activists of the Apni Party led by their Kashmir provincial president Ashraf Mir protested at the party headquarters against the civilian deaths.
The National Conference (NC) also protested over the same issue, demanding authorities to “stop the bloodshed of innocents.”
“NC has always condemned terror. We condemn the killing of five armymen. But, we also condemn the killing of innocent civilians. When the government announced NIA inquiry into the killing of Armymen, then an inquiry should also be launched into the killing of civilians,” the party’s general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said.
Meanwhile, senior CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami demanded a prompt and impartial inquiry into the mysterious death of the three persons.
“Demanding a fair probe into the “mysterious” death of 3 civilians near the encounter spot in Poonch. A prompt & impartial probe is crucial to ascertain the cause of their death,” Tarigami said in a post on X.
“Also condemning in no uncertain terms the militant attack in which 5 soldiers made ultimate sacrifices in the line of duty. My deep condolences to their families,” the CPI(M) leader’s post added.
