J&K: ‘Custodial Torture’ survivor recounts tales of horror

“I am a pile of broken bones and limbs. My body is pockmarked with injuries. Who will feed my family now and who will provide for the education of my only daughter,” says Mohammad Farooq, 36, one of the five men who were allegedly picked up and tortured by the army.

Following Thursday’s ambush at Dhatyar Morh that left four soldiers dead and three injured, the army on Friday had detained nine men for questioning.

“By Friday evening, three men from Topa Peer were killed in custody and the remaining were allegedly dumped at separate places in the late evening hours,” Farooq alleged.

Currently undergoing treatment at Rajouri Government Medical College and Hospital, Mohammad Farooq, who belongs to Upper Pangai village in Rajouri district, recalled the nightmarish experience. “I am lying on hospital bed. I am a labourer and have a wife and a daughter. It was Friday morning around 9.30 when I got a call from the police to visit Thannamandi police station. Four other men were also called. However, en route, the army picked me up in a vehicle and we were taken to an army camp at Dera Ki Gali,” he said.

“The five persons also included a 15-year-old boy. The moment all of us reached the army camp at DKG, our mobile phones were taken away,” he said.“They herded us into the camp and started beating us with lathis and iron rods. There were several soldiers who were beating us,” recalled Farooq. “They also smeared chilly powder and salt on our wounds, gave us electric shocks and the nightmare continued till 7 pm or 8 pm on Friday,” he says.

“Around 9 pm on Friday, I was dumped by the roadside in an unconscious state. They kept beating us and kept taking our videos,” he recalled. “Somehow, I crawled to a house where I pleaded for help. The men dropped me at the house of my cousin,” he says. Next day villagers took Farooq to the hospital. He claimed that no compensation has yet been given to him and four others recuperating at the Rajouri hospital.