Kashmiri Civilians Subjected to Torture

On November 20, four laborers from the remote village of Kwath in Jammu’s Kishtwar district were tortured in the custody of the Indian Army after being summoned for questioning about suspected pro-freedom armed fighters’ activity.

The men, all poor daily-wage workers, were called to the Chas Army Camp, located an hour’s trek from their village, and were reportedly subjected to severe abuse.

By evening, when the men had not returned, anxiety spread across Kwath. Villagers launched a search and discovered the men severely injured, dumped outside the camp gates. Their bodies were covered in bruises, and some were vomiting blood. One of the men suffered extensive eye injuries, and they were unable to walk or speak due to the extent of their injuries.

Irshad Ahmad, a carpenter who helped carry the men back, described the scene as harrowing. “When I lifted their clothes, I was numb. They had been beaten ruthlessly,” he said.

The villagers, determined to help the injured men, took turns carrying them on foot to a nearby hospital, but faced significant obstacles. Initial attempts to get medical treatment were blocked by the army. Village defense guards (VDGs) advised them to take the men to a smaller hospital, but when the villagers insisted on taking them to Kishtwar’s main hospital, the army intervened, pressuring them to admit the men to a military facility instead. The villagers refused, prioritizing proper treatment over military appeasement.

Medical examinations later confirmed extensive physical trauma, indicating that the men had been subjected to prolonged and brutal torture. Dawood Ahmad, a local resident, reported that the army discouraged them from filing a police report, promising to resolve the issue internally. He said the army warned that the “brotherhood” between the army and the villagers would end if they pursued the matter further.

In response to public outcry, the Indian Army issued a statement acknowledging reports of “ill-treatment” during a counter-terror operation. They announced an investigation into the incident and promised “necessary follow-up action.” However, villagers expressed skepticism, pointing to similar previous cases where investigations into army actions had led to little or no consequences.

In a controversial move, the army reportedly offered the families of the victims Rs 25,000 each, along with a promise of assistance for three months. Villagers believe this was an attempt to buy their silence, an accusation that echoes concerns about impunity within the military’s operations in the region.

This incident is not isolated. Last year, three men in Poonch district reportedly died due to custodial torture, and investigations into such cases are often seen as inadequate. Local residents have rejected claims by the army that the men were detained for failing to report militant activity, pointing out that if militants were present in the area, the army should have acted at that time.