Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met the families of three civilians who were found dead last week after being detained by the troops following a terrorist attack on two Army vehicles in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Safeer Hussain (43), Mohd Showket (27) and Shabir Ahmad (32) had been picked up by the Army for questioning following the attack and they were later found dead on December 22.
The defence minister also visited the Government Medical College (GMC) where four persons—Mohd Zulfkar, his brother Mohd Betab, Fazal Hussain and Mohd Farooq—have been admitted after being allegedly beaten up by the troops during an anti-terror operations.
The minister assured action against the guilty after an inquiry into the incident. “Whatever has happened...there will be justice,” he said.
The minister was accompanied by Army chief General Manoj Pande and Lt Governor Manoj Sinha.
Earlier, Singh visited the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and took stock of the security situation along the Line of Control (LoC). He also paid tributes to the soldiers killed in action and conveyed his deepest condolences to the families of the bravehearts.
Four soldiers lost their lives while three others were injured after terrorists opened fire at their vehicles at Dhatyar Morh between Dhera Ki Gali and Buffliaz in the Surankote area of Poonch on December 21.
The minister assured the troops that the government stands with the armed forces and the nation will forever be indebted to the unparalleled valour and sacrifice of the soldiers. He termed the welfare of the forces as the government’s top priority, stressing that additional efforts are being made to bolster the security and intelligence framework.
“Indian Army is not an ordinary army. The soldiers are our protectors. It is their duty to not only safeguard national interests, but also to win the hearts of the people,” he said.
The minister, however, also cautioned the troops that mistakes that may hurt countrymen should not happen.
"You are the guardians of the country. Apart from the responsibility toward security of the country, winning the hearts of the citizens is also a big responsibility on your shoulders. You are making efforts in this direction as well, but sometimes there does happen a mistake (chook). Such mistakes, that may hurt any citizen of the country, should not happen," Singh told troops during an interaction with them in Rajouri.
