December 23, Srinagar (KNS): Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari, the President of the Apni Party, voiced his sorrow and deep frustration at the four unexplained killings of people in Poonch on Saturday. After the ambush that killed four troops close to the Dara Ki Gali-Bufliyaz woodland region on Thursday, the people were reportedly arrested by the Army for interrogation. On Friday, it was found that the deaths were suspicious. The area where the victims are from is not far from the scene of the terrorist assault on Army vehicles.
Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari denounced the terrorist assault in a statement and urged Home Minister Amit Shah to see to it that a comprehensive inquiry is conducted into the civilian killings in order to identify and prosecute those responsible.
“I am deeply disturbed and shocked by the mysterious deaths of four civilians following the incident,” the speaker said, “even though I strongly condemn the terrorist attack that resulted in the deaths of five soldiers in Poonch.” In order to identify those guilty of the innocent killings, I implore Hon. Home Minister Amit Shah ji to see to it that a comprehensive inquiry is conducted. If the Army or security services are discovered to have been engaged, those responsible must face prosecution.
Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari voiced worry over photographs and videos showing citizens being forced to submit to force and emphasized the urgency with which these instances needed to be addressed.
“Watching civilians being brutally beaten by the forces is painful,” he said. These kinds of things shouldn’t be allowed to happen because they damage the military’s prestige and increase public hostility. In order to hold individuals who violate human rights responsible and to set an example, investigations into these incidents are essential.
Concurrently, at the party headquarters in Srinagar on Saturday, Apni Party officials and workers staged a protest rally against the unexplained civilian deaths in Poonch, under the leadership of the provincial president of the party, Mohammad Ashraf Mir. Leaders and workers of the protesting party chanted anti-four-civil-death slogans and called for inquiries into the event. The police, however, forbade the party officials and employees who were protesting from leaving the office building. (KNS)
