New Delhi: The Brigadier heading the 13 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, who was in charge of Poonch in Jammu & Kashmir, has been moved out pending an investigation into the purported torture videos and deaths of three civilians. The civilians were among the eight picked up by the Army Friday in the wake of the killings of four soldiers in an ambush by terrorists, ThePrint has learnt.
A new officer from Kashmir has taken over the command of the 13 Sector Rashtriya Rifles, sources in the defence and security establishment said.
“Brigadier P. Acharya has been attached (a term used in the Army when officers are taken off duty pending a probe and deployed with another unit or the headquarters) pending the investigation. A new officer has taken over the command. Formal posting orders will come in time,” a source said.
Sources also said that more officers and men will be attached as the probe looks into the civilian deaths.
The torture videos and deaths have been viewed very seriously by the central government with strict instructions passed to the Army to fix accountability, sources said.
“This is not a sacking. This is an attachment because the said officer’s conduct is under probe. Further course of action, including the kind of punishment, will be based on the outcome of the internal probe,” a second source said.
ThePrint was the first to report Saturday and Sunday that the Army had initiated its own probe into the purported torture videos and deaths even as the Jammu & Kashmir Police have registered a murder case and are investigating.
Sources added that the police probe will also look into the deaths, besides examining whether there was any attempt by certain Army officers to cover up and influence the civil probe.
As reported, the tenure of the current Commander of 16 Corps, Lieutenant General Sandeep Jain, is already ending, and he is scheduled to hand over charge to Lt Gen Navin Sachdeva on 1 January.
Officers in command under him include Brigadier P. Acharya, besides the Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Second in Command besides the Company Commander.
Sources said that the Commanding Officer of the Battalion under probe was on leave when the incident happened and another officer was officiating.
According to sources, the civilians were picked up by the same formation that had suffered casualties of four soldiers in an ambush by the terrorists Thursday in Poonch.
The Army Sunday finally identified the slain soldiers as Naik Birender Singh, Naik Karan Kumar, Rifleman Gautam Kumar and Rifleman Chandan Kumar.
It is learnt that the bodies of at least two soldiers were mutilated.
As reported by ThePrint in November, the Rajouri Poonch area has shown a worrying trend over the past one-and-half years with soldiers getting repeatedly ambushed by terrorists.
Sources agreed that there were operational gaps in the Rajouri Poonch area and said steps were being taken to put the house in order.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)