Those responsible for Kishtwar incident should be court-martialled, says Omar
The alleged torture of four civilians by Army personnel in Kishtwar has triggered angry reactions from various political parties in Jammu and Kashmir, notably from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who has demanded a transparent investigation and court martial for those found guilty.
The controversy erupted following the Nagrota-based XV Corps' announcement of an inquiry into claims of brutal torture inflicted on four residents of Kuath village in the region.
“The sad thing is that our people haven’t learnt anything. This is not the first such incident when people have been called to camps and beaten. I thank God that none of them have lost their precious lives. We have witnessed such incidents in the past where people have been called to police camps and they have lost their precious lives to torture,” Abdullah said.
“I hope the Army will not show any laxity. They should investigate the allegations and the responsible persons should be court-martialled if there is any evidence against them,” he added.
As per the allegations, four locals from Kuath village in Chas area received a phone call on Wednesday morning asking them to report at an Army camp.
The call was made with regard to the investigation into the killing of two village defence guards (VDGs) by the terrorists on November 7 after they were abducted. A Special Forces JCO was also killed in action during the search operation on November 10.
Meanwhile, Kashmir-based political leaders have demanded stern action against those behind the alleged torture.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti in a statement on X said, “Allegations of severe torture have emerged from Kishtwar taking us back to the disturbing events that took place in Bafliaz Surankote earlier this year. Sajad Ahmad, Abdul Kabir, Mushtaq Ahmad and Mehraj-ud-Din from Kuath village (in Kishtwar) were summoned to the Army camp for questioning where they were allegedly subjected to extreme physical torture”.
She further stated that the victims, “left severely injured and unable to walk had to be carried to the hospital”.
She urged the UT government to take swift action against those involved to ensure accountability and to prevent such heinous human rights violations from recurring in future.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and head of the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), also condemned the incident. “The disturbing images circulating in the media depicting severe torture marks on their bodies have raised significant concerns about human rights violations in the region,” he said.
