For the residents of Kwath, a remote Muslim village of 250 houses in Jammu that requires a 5 kilometre trek uphill to reach, opportunities and resources are scarce. The villagers, mostly illiterate and poor, are daily labourers.
The Army in the area often calls on the villagers for paid labour. So when four of them—Mehrajuddin (40), Sajad (30), Mushtaq (36), and Abdul Kabeer (35)—were called to the nearby camp in Chas on November 20, it raised no suspicion.
“We thought it was just a routine call for work,” said Ghulam Mohammed whose son-in-law, Mehrajuddin, was among the four men. “We didn’t think much of it.”
However, when the men did not return by evening, it set alarm bells ringing. Villagers went to the Army camp to find out what had happened. “When the villagers arrived [at the Chas camp], they saw one of the four men lying injured inside the compound.” said Dawood Ahmed, a Kwath resident. “They informed other villagers and asked them to reach the camp. By 5 pm, all four men were released in an injured condition.”
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Among those who had gathered at the camp gate was 39-year-old Irshad Ahmed, who said that he saw the four men in a battered state. “They had been tortured mercilessly,” Irshad Ahmed recounted. “None of them could move. Two of them were vomiting blood.”
The incident comes less than a year after the Indian Army allegedly tortured three civilians to death in Jammu region’s Poonch district, following the ambush of an Army vehicle by militants that killed four soldiers.
The day after the Chas camp incident, when videos and photographs of the villagers began circulating on social media, the Indian Army’s XVI Corps, operating in the Jammu region, responded to the allegations and launched an investigation.
“Based on specific intelligence of the move of a group of terrorists in the Kishtwar Sector, an operation was launched by Rashtriya Rifles on 20 November 2024,” the Army said in a statement on its official X handle. “There are some reports on the alleged ill-treatment of civilians during an operation. An investigation is being launched to ascertain the facts. Necessary follow-up action will be ensured.”
Desperate for Treatment
Kishtwar district has seen an upsurge in militant activities in recent months. In November alone, two Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and a Junior Commissioned Officer of the Army’s special forces were killed by militants in separate incidents. A police official in the district confirmed to Frontline that the four Kwath residents were summoned in the aftermath of these killings.
The VDGs are a group of civilians trained and equipped with guns by the government to supplement the security provided by the armed forces and fight militants in Jammu’s remote areas.
According to the villagers, the four men summoned to the camp said that the soldiers repeatedly asked them if they knew anything about the presence of militants in the area. “[The soldiers] also blamed them for not informing them about militants offering Friday prayers in the village mosque,” said Ghulam Rasool, a Kwath resident. “But how could they have reported anything when there were no militants in our village?”
What followed appears to have been a brutal beating of the four men. According to the villagers who went to the Chas camp, none of the victims could lie down on the cot arranged to carry them back to Kwath. “All four were beaten black and blue,” Dawood Ahmed told Frontline. “One complained of broken ribs, one’s buttocks had turned purple from the beating, and two others looked like they might not survive.”
The Chas camp is located on another mountain ridge near Kwath village, with the only access being a 2 km trek. “We had to carry the injured men on our backs all the way back to Kwath,” said the villagers.
A photo of Abdul Kabeer, 35, displayed on a phone screen.
| Photo Credit:
Zaid Bin Shabir
When the severity of the injuries became evident, the villagers realised that the men required immediate treatment. “Their condition looked terrible,” said an anguished Dawood Ahmed. “All we could think about was saving their lives.” As the villagers prepared to carry the injured men to Void village nearby and then go by vehicles to a hospital in Kishtwar town—about 41 km away—they received a call. “The person on the other end was a major from the camp,” a Kwath resident, who requested anonymity, said. “He asked us to persuade the injured men not to file a case against the Army.”
By the time the villagers reached Void to transfer the injured men into vehicles, two VDGs from the Hindu community had arrived, and they made a similar request. “They said it would be an injustice to the Army if an FIR was filed against the unit,” claimed Dawood Ahmed, who was present there at the time. “They also warned that filing a case against the Army would end the brotherhood between the two communities.”
However, that was the last thing on the Kwath villagers’ minds. They set off for Kishtwar, only to be stopped twice along the way. “We were first stopped by the police, who, after some deliberation, allowed us to go,” alleged Ghulam Ahmed, the father of Abdul Kabeer, one of the four civilians assaulted by the Army. “But a few minutes later, the Army set up a roadblock and stopped our vehicles, even as the four men were crying out in pain.”
When the army blocked their vehicles, the villagers once again took the injured men on their backs and began walking to the hospital. “At that moment, a brigadier arrived and apologised to us, saying a grave injustice had been done to our people and that such an incident would not happen again,” Bashir Ahmed, the former Panch of Kwath village, told Frontline. “He also promised to provide medical treatment for the injured at the Bandarkoot camp and gave Rs.25,000 to each of them.”
Bashir Ahmed added that the brigadier also promised to take care of the rations and supplies needed for the injured men for three months, until they recovered fully. “But the way they have been tortured, they may never really work again like they used to,” Bashir Ahmed said.
The police have not filed an FIR against the Army, following a compromise based on assurances from the Army to the villagers that “such incidents would never happen again”.
Highlights
- The Army in the area often calls on the villagers for paid labour. So when four of them were called to the nearby camp in Chas on November 20, it raised no suspicion.
- What followed appears to have been a brutal beating. One complained of broken ribs, one’s buttocks had turned purple, and two others looked like they might not survive.
- No FIR filed against the Army, after the Army arrived at a compromise with the villagers and assured them that “such incidents would never happen again”.
A police official, who requested anonymity, said that the Army had failed to follow due procedure in the Kwath incident. “Even though [the assault] was an aberration, it should not have happened,” the official said. “The Army should have called the police if they had to question suspects but, instead, they took matters into their own hands.”
An upsurge of militancy in Jammu
Since October 2021, militancy has shifted from the Kashmir Valley to the relatively peaceful Jammu region. Eight of the 10 districts in Jammu have recently witnessed militant incidents, with the worst in Reasi district, where militants attacked a bus carrying pilgrims, killing nine people, including a 2-year-old.
The Chenab Valley, including Ramban, Doda, and Kishtwar districts, has also seen a rise in militancy. Since August, three soldiers and two VDGs have lost their lives in separate incidents in Kishtwar district.
The security forces in Jammu and Kashmir believe that the militants operating in Jammu are highly trained in jungle warfare, use communication systems that are not easily cracked, and have very little contact with the public, making it difficult for the armed forces to catch them. According to the senior police official quoted earlier, at least two groups of foreign terrorists are currently operating in Kishtwar. “The difficult terrain gives these terrorists an advantage,” the official said. “The remote areas have little to no road connectivity,…[so] they have been able to strike and vanish quickly.”
A family member shows a photo of 40-year-old Mehrajuddin.
| Photo Credit:
Zaid Bin Shabir
However, the official believes that to “eliminate the presence of terrorists in the region, their support network must be dismantled”. “There’s definitely some local support for these foreign terrorists, which is why anyone with past ties to militancy is now under the radar of the security agencies,” the official told Frontline.
In November, the police booked five people in Kishtwar, who had previous links to militancy, under the Public Safety Act. According to data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal, until November 29 this year, 13 civilians, including VDGs, and 18 security forces personnel were killed in Jammu. From 2014 to 2018, 17 civilians and 40 security personnel were killed, while from 2019 to 2023, 15 civilians and 50 security personnel were killed.
A Jammu and Kashmir Police official believes that the attempt by militant groups to shift base to the Chenab region is also putting pressure on civilians who may have no connection to militancy.
“Such incidents [of torture] in a sensitive place like Kishtwar always have the potential to flare up,” he told Frontline.
Questions arise
The Kwath incident has shocked the villagers not just because of the brutality of the beatings but also because they had long-standing ties with the Army. “The soldiers would usually come every two days to buy basic supplies from us,” said Mohammed Ramzan, father of Mushtaq, one of the villagers who was beaten up. “There was never any animosity between us.”
The men are currently receiving treatment at an Army facility. Although the incident occurred on November 20, the villagers continue to live in fear and anger. There is widespread apprehension that further punishment may follow, especially after rumours began spreading about a list.“There are rumours that there’s a list with the Army of 40 Kwath residents for punishment,” claimed Ghulam Rasool, a Kwath villager.
A Kwath villager shows an image of Mushtaq Ahmed, 36.
| Photo Credit:
Zaid Bin Shabir
The villagers are also being made to believe that their choice to vote for the National Conference candidate in the recently held Assembly election has made them more enemies than allies. “A rival candidate said that because we voted for the National Conference, we would be punished,” Dawood Ahmed told Frontline. “Is it so easy to use the Army as a political tool?”
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Despite the fear and anger about the recent incident, the residents of Kwath are not against the Army as an institution, but only against those soldiers who roughed up the innocent civilians. Dawood Ahmed said that the villagers are clear about what they want: punishment for the guilty. “Once they are held accountable, only then will it mean justice for us,” he added.
Equally, the Kwath villagers also believe that the Army should punish those found guilty of supporting and aiding militants. “But an innocent person should never be tortured,” they said.
This writer has sent a set of questions regarding the allegations to the Defence PRO in Jammu. The story will be updated on the Frontline website once there is a response.
While the four Kwath residents continue to receive treatment under the Army’s watch, the other villagers still seem baffled about what triggered the suspicion against them. “The Army first tortured our people and only then listened to our side,” Irshad Ahmed lamented.
Zaid Bin Shabir is a journalist based in Jammu & Kashmir
