The scale of violence and atrocities that I have witnessed during the course of my political career has ensured nothing really shocks or rattles me anymore. But I was left stunned by a gruesome, abominable video that is doing the rounds over social media. The video, little less than a minute long, shows Army jawans clad in uniforms using abusive language while mercilessly thrashing civilians who appear to be half dead. Not satisfied with lashing them with sticks, they then go onto to strip them naked and pour heaps of red chilli powder on their gashed and wounded bottoms. A few hours after the video was verified, another disturbing fact came to light. One of those innocent civilians was already dead while this act of violence was carried out.
A deeply distressing question came to mind. Who would dare to shoot such a video under those circumstances? Certainly not a civilian. Clearly it was one of them. The video was deliberately leaked and disseminated with the diabolical intention of conveying a chilling message. By the very same persons whose unprecedented presence through every nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir is justified in the guise of securing our lives. This is the side of the story that the media doesn’t want you to see.
This shameful incident took place after five Army men were killed in an ambush by militants in Poonch. Its certainly not the first time in recent years that the Army has suffered huge casualties despite the fact that the Pir Panchal area never gravitated towards militancy. The last two decades witnessed relative peace in the area where people have cooperated in every manner possible with the armed forces. For militancy to erupt here is a worrying sign. Notwithstanding the government’s false claims that it has wiped out terrorism from J&K with the abrogation of Article 370. This couldn’t be further from the truth. If anything, it has now engulfed even a region like Rajouri and Poonch which have remained peaceful even during peak insurgency years.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here .