Imam tells a horror story of `torture' in Army custody

Imam tells a horror story of `torture' in Army custody
MUZAMIL JALEEL

SRINAGAR, FEBRUARY 21: Coming close on the heels of the Hygam and Maisuma incidents, the alleged torture of the Imam of a local mosque in a remote north Kashmir village by the Army can spark off a fresh round of controversy.

The 30-year-old Imam of Shalikot village in north Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Kumar, was allegedly picked up by men of 28 Rashtriya Rifles on February 8, on the suspicion of being a militant. He was, however, released when the major in charge of the RR company realised he was not involved. What, however, happened in between is Kumar's ``horror story''. It left him in no condition to even walk. His family had to carry him home.

A senior officer of Kilo Force told The Indian Express that they were investigating the matter. ``We will definitely take action but first we have to investigate to know the truth,'' he said.

``I begged for death but they kept me alive. They were asking for apistol, and when I pleaded my innocence, they set me on fire. The skin ofmy legs and neck peeled off and the pain was unbearable,'' said Kumar of his 84-hour ordeal from his bed in the burns ward of the SMHS Hospital here.

``I am basically a farmer though I occasionally do the imamat (head theprayers) at the nearby Chana mohalla mosque. During the winter, I also work as a night chowkidar at the residence of a well-known apple merchant of thearea, Deeri Singh, who shifts along with his family to Jammu. And thatevening also, I was on my way to Sardarji's house after having my dinner athome. It was a bit late, it was around 8 pm. Somebody called out to me from the dark, asking me to halt and raise my hands. I knew it was the Army and I immediately obeyed.

``When they came closer, they asked me to take off my phiran. They blindfolded me and started hitting me. They took me to the Shalibug post, handcuffed me and tied my legs.''

Kumar broke down. The wounds on his neck were still open. The lone nursing orderly, who was doing the job in the absence of the staff, had put dressings on his legs. ``I don't want to recall what they did to me. Theyhad just one demand -- give us a pistol or give us your life, and four ofthem were hitting me,'' he recalled.

``Then came the officer, Major Yadav. I knew him, in fact everybody inthe village knows him. He asked for kerosene, poured a bit on my clothes and lit it himself. My shirt caught fire and he immediately extinguished it. Then they asked me to sleep on a heap of firewood and started piling up logs on my body. Major Yadav once again asked me to surrender the pistol, threatening to otherwise burn me alive on the pyre. I was so scared that I could not even plead for mercy,'' Kumar said.

Kumar's voice cracked and he closed his eyes. ``They took me off the pyre.For a moment, I thought it was mercy and they would let me go. But then they took some of the firewood and lit a fire. They threw something on my body and asked me to stand near the flames. My legs were on fire. I felt the skin of my legs peeling off. I started crying and running in pain. I felt as if somebody had put me in hot water. It was unbearable.

``I asked them to kill me,'' recalled Kumar. ``I was in so much pain that they gave me an injection''. He said later he was blindfolded once again and put inside a sentry's bunker. ``I was lying there and had lost all hope,'' he said.

Then his family approached some Sikhs who were their neighbours. ``They pleaded for my release and got me out of there. I have no words to thank them. They gave me a new life,'' he said.

Kumar can't figure out why the Army picked him up. ``I am not even remotelyinvolved in anything. Ask anybody in my village or even in the neighbouringvillages. Even these armymen would see me almost everyday,'' he said. ``Idon't know why they picked me up. There were two local Ikhwanis (counter-insurgents) -- Akbar and Chadiya -- with them. Perhaps, they hadmisled them. But I don't know for sure.''

Kumar is accompanied by his brother and a cousin, who didn't want their names to be revealed. ``They (the Army) will kill us,'' both of them pleaded. ``We don't know what will happen when they hear that he (Kumar) talked about it. We live in a remote village, where they are the ones who rule.''

Kumar claimed his family had been asked by the Army not to take him out of the village without their permission.