Death of 3 civilians: J-K govt announces compensation, jobs to kin; Army to cooperate in probe
Jammu, Dec 23: Tension mounted in the border districts of Poonch and Rajouri after three men died allegedly during interrogation by the Army following the killing of five soldiers in a suspected militants ambush, prompting the Jammu and Kashmir government to step in swiftly and announce compensation and jobs to the kin of these civilians.
Authorities suspended mobile Internet services in the two districts as a precautionary measure to check rumour-mongering and prevent any law and order problem, and senior administrative and police officers have been camping in the area to monitor the situation.
In a post on X, the Information and PR department of Jammu and Kashmir said, "The death of three civilians was reported yesterday in Baffliaz of Poonch District. The medico legal formalities were conducted and legal action in this matter has been initiated by the appropriate authority."
"Government has announced compensation for each of the deceased. Further Government has also announced compassionate appointments to the next of kin of each deceased," it stated.
The three civilians, aged between 27 and 42, were found dead on Friday. Their relatives and political leaders alleged that they died due to "custodial torture" as they were among the eight people picked up by the Army for questioning during an ongoing search operation to track down the suspected militants involved in the ambush of Thursday.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police is preparing an inquest report under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which gives powers to police to inquire and submit a report to executive magistrate when a person has died under circumstances raising a reasonable suspicion that some other person has committed an offence.
This may lead to the registration of a case in the matter, officials said.
The Army's public information wing tweeted on Saturday saying it would extend all cooperation in the conduct of the investigation into the civilian deaths.
"Search operations by the security forces are continuing in the area of operations after the incident of 21 Dec 23. Reports have been received regarding three civilian deaths in the area. The matter is under investigation. Indian Army stands committed to extending full support and cooperation in the conduct of investigations," the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) of the Indian Army posted on X.
Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspector General of Police Anand Jain have been camping in Poonch and are monitoring the situation, officials said.
Videos of the alleged custodial torture surfaced on Friday, after which the authorities suspended mobile Internet services in the two districts, the officials said.
The bodies of the three civilians -- Safeer Hussain (43), Mohd Showket (27) and Shabir Ahmad (32) of Topa Peer village of Buffliaz -- were handed over to their families after postmortem on Saturday morning. They were later laid to rest at their ancestral graveyard in Buffliaz.
"All the three were innocent civilians and died of torture in the custody of the Army," Mohd Sadiq, a relative of one of the deceased, told PTI over phone from the village.
He said they have performed the last rites of the deceased following the assurance of action by Poonch Deputy Commissioner Choudhary Mohd Yasin and Senior Superintendent of Police Vinay Kumar, who were in the village throughout the day.
"They have assured us action...we want justice for the deceased. We want registration of FIR against the Army unit and adequate compensation along with a government job to the next of kin," he said.
Sadiq, a panch, said he had informed senior police and civil officers about the random arrests and torture but nobody paid any heed.
Officials said four other civilians - Mohd Zulfkar, his brother Mohd Betab, Fazal Hussain and Mohd Farooq -- were admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Rajouri with alleged torture injuries.
Additional police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in sensitive pockets of the districts to maintain peace.
Five soldiers were killed and two injured when heavily armed suspected militants ambushed two Army vehicles at a blind curve at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Bufliaz on Thursday. The ambush took place when the security personnel were moving to an ongoing search operation in the general area of Dhera Ki Gali in the Thanamandi-Surankote region.
Sound of firing was heard deep inside a forest in Dhera Ki Gali area Saturday afternoon but security agencies later clarified that forces resorted to speculative firing to check a natural cave.
Meanwhile, several political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday staged protests and demanded an impartial probe into the death of three civilians.
A BJP leader said the Jammu and Kashmir administration's prompt action in providing compensation and jobs to the kin of the deceased civilians demonstrates its commitment to address the concerns of affected families.
Senior CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami expressed grief over the death of three civilians and demanded an impartial probe into the circumstances leading to their death.
He said the death of soldiers in a terror attack is most unfortunate but the loss of three civilian lives is equally disturbing.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the incident and demanded that the administration release a compensation of Rs 50 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 5 lakh each to the injured.
Scores of activists of the National Conference and the Apni Party tried to take out protest rallies but were stopped by police from leaving their respective party offices.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
