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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
