By Arun Sharma
One of the men who was allegedly picked up by security forces in Poonch has told The Indian Express that he and the other detainees were stripped, beaten and smeared with “chilli powder on the wounds” until they lost consciousness.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Mohammad Ashraf (52) claimed he and four others were picked up by security forces last week after which “they removed our clothes and beat us with lathis and iron rods, and rubbed chilli powder on our wounds”.
The civilians were allegedly picked after four Army soldiers were killed in a militant ambush in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch on Thursday. Three civilians died allegedly during questioning, and five, including Ashraf, were admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Rajouri on Saturday.
“I am the person in the viral video that shows a man being beaten with iron rods and lathis by Army personnel,” Ashraf told The Indian Express, referring to a video that was widely shared on social media.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here .