Locals allege torture; phone and Internet service has been disrupted in the area; police are investigating the matter; and defence sources are gathering information
On Saturday, a 52-year-old man from Gurez village in Bandipora district, North Kashmir, died allegedly inside a local army camp in Gurez’s Tarbal area.
The man, according to locals, died as a result of torture. According to a group of locals, Muhammad Abdullah Hajam, son of Abdul Rahman Hajam, a Tarbal resident, was allegedly summoned by the local army unit (36RR) at Tarbal–the last village near the LoC, about 20 kilometres from Gurez town.
Locals claimed that they learned of the man’s death inside the army camp this morning. Locals say the deceased was the father of five children.
Locals also claim that as a result of the incident, network connectivity was suspended throughout the Bagtore area this morning. After Hajam’s death, his family and neighbours staged a protest in the neighbourhood. The protesters were eventually calmed down by a police team.
A senior Gurez police officer, who did not want to be identified, told Kashmir-based news agency KNO that the case is being investigated and that the cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem examination.
According to defence sources, a team of doctors has arrived on the scene and will investigate how the death occurred. “The facts are being established,” a source in the defence said.
The Chenab Times News Desk