NEW DELHI: The Army is shifting out the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) battalion involved in the alleged custodial torture and death of three civilians in J&K’s Poonch last month, while three parallel inquiries are underway into the entire episode that has rocked the 12-lakh strong force.
The 48 RR unit is being replaced by another RR battalion following the incident, which has led to a major uproar in the region, as well as setbacks in counter-terrorism operations & continuing command and control issues, sources told TOI on Friday.
Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday had made it clear that he has given “unambiguous” directions to his commanders in J&K that human rights have to be respected at all costs during all operations and there will be “zero tolerance” for any violations.
The three ongoing courts of inquiry (CoIs), in turn, are being conducted after the removal from command of the Brigadier heading the 13 sector of the RR, while the conduct of the 48 RR commanding officer (Colonel), second-in-command (Lt-Colonel) and company commander (Major) is under the scanner.
The first CoI is looking into the death of the three civilians, Safeer Ahmed, Mohammad Showkat and Shabir Ahmed, all residents of Topi Peer village in Surankote who were picked up by 48 RR a day after four soldiers were killed in the terrorist ambush on December 21.
The second CoI is examining the conduct of this particular counter-terrorism operation in the backdrop of soldiers getting repeatedly trapped in military-style ambushes by well-trained terrorists in densely-forested and hilly Poonch-Rajouri.
While seven soldiers were killed in the Kashmir Valley in 2023, the Army has lost as many as 20 in the Rajouri-Poonch area alone during the same period.
The circumstances behind the filming of the brutal torture of the three civilians by some soldiers using “smart phones” – video clips of the merciless assault subsequently leaked – is the mandate of the third CoI. “Corrective action will be taken after the three CoIs submit their reports,” a source said.
With the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch emerging as the new hotbed of militancy in J&K, the Army has drawn “tactical” lessons from the ambushes, which range from more effective use of drones and other technologies as well as plugging gaps in both “human intelligence” and “technical intelligence” in the area.
First raised as a small force in 1990 to handle specialised counter-insurgency operations in J&K, the RR now has 63 battalions (almost 70,000 soldiers) divided into five division-like headquarters commanded by Major Generals.
One RR division, however, was moved to eastern Ladakh in light of the continuing military confrontation with China along the frontier there.
The 48 RR unit is being replaced by another RR battalion following the incident, which has led to a major uproar in the region, as well as setbacks in counter-terrorism operations & continuing command and control issues, sources told TOI on Friday.
Army chief General Manoj Pande on Thursday had made it clear that he has given “unambiguous” directions to his commanders in J&K that human rights have to be respected at all costs during all operations and there will be “zero tolerance” for any violations.
The three ongoing courts of inquiry (CoIs), in turn, are being conducted after the removal from command of the Brigadier heading the 13 sector of the RR, while the conduct of the 48 RR commanding officer (Colonel), second-in-command (Lt-Colonel) and company commander (Major) is under the scanner.
The first CoI is looking into the death of the three civilians, Safeer Ahmed, Mohammad Showkat and Shabir Ahmed, all residents of Topi Peer village in Surankote who were picked up by 48 RR a day after four soldiers were killed in the terrorist ambush on December 21.
The second CoI is examining the conduct of this particular counter-terrorism operation in the backdrop of soldiers getting repeatedly trapped in military-style ambushes by well-trained terrorists in densely-forested and hilly Poonch-Rajouri.
While seven soldiers were killed in the Kashmir Valley in 2023, the Army has lost as many as 20 in the Rajouri-Poonch area alone during the same period.
The circumstances behind the filming of the brutal torture of the three civilians by some soldiers using “smart phones” – video clips of the merciless assault subsequently leaked – is the mandate of the third CoI. “Corrective action will be taken after the three CoIs submit their reports,” a source said.
With the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch emerging as the new hotbed of militancy in J&K, the Army has drawn “tactical” lessons from the ambushes, which range from more effective use of drones and other technologies as well as plugging gaps in both “human intelligence” and “technical intelligence” in the area.
First raised as a small force in 1990 to handle specialised counter-insurgency operations in J&K, the RR now has 63 battalions (almost 70,000 soldiers) divided into five division-like headquarters commanded by Major Generals.
One RR division, however, was moved to eastern Ladakh in light of the continuing military confrontation with China along the frontier there.
