This week, three Kashmiri civilians died while in the custody of Indian forces, and the online news of their suspected torture sparked outrage among locals. In order to prevent the situation from expanding, the Indian authorities cut off Internet services in some parts of the country on the 23rd.
Screenshot of Al Jazeera's report.
According to Al Jazeera 24**, eight civilians were taken away by Indian forces in a village in the Ponchi region of Kashmir on the 22nd, three of whom died in custody and the other five were taken to hospitals. Later that day, the relatives of the three deceased were asked to collect their bodies from the local **. Relatives of the deceased said they had traces of torture. One family member of the victim said they were subjected to electric shocks and beatings, ** and were sprinkled with chili powder during their detention.
Just after the 8 civilians were taken away by the Indian military, a video of soldiers sprinkling chili powder on civilians lying on the floor appeared on social platforms, and local villagers identified the latter as the person taken away by the Indian army. Al Jazeera said it could not confirm the authenticity of the ** for the time being.
After the ** went viral, it sparked strong outrage among locals, and the main city of Kashmir, Srinagar**, broke out**. On the 23rd, Indian authorities cut off internet services in Pontch and nearby areas. According to the Associated Press, this is a common tactic used by authorities to stop the spread and eliminate the possible.
The Indian Army issued a statement on the social platform X on the 23rd, saying that it was investigating the incident, but did not provide any details about the detention and the deaths of civilians.