Of 10 who survived Poonch torture, only one back at work, most yet to recover

Of them, the only one who has returned to work, as a room attendant at a Srinagar hotel, is 30-year-old Topa Pir resident Mohammad Riyaz.

“Much before I was picked up by Army personnel on the morning of December 22, I had taken an advance from my employer before returning home,” he told The Indian Express, explaining why he rushed back to work before the start of the tourist season.

Back in Topa Pir, his younger brother Mohammad Farooq (18) underwent surgery a fortnight ago. “I had a clot in the head,” he said, adding that doctors at the government hospital in Surankote have prescribed him medicines and rest.

Their cousin, Israel (25), is also out of work, with his wife Yasmeen Kousar claiming his right hand is injured. She alleged Israel was also injured in the thigh and that salt and chilli powder was rubbed on the wound.

Israel was planning to go to Kuwait for work when he was picked up. “He had spent Rs 1.5 lakh for getting a visa and was scheduled to undergo a medical test on December 25,” she said.

Ashraf, a daily wager in the Power Development Department, speaking over the phone, said he cannot walk properly and has been unable to get back to work. The condition of four others, he said, was no different, and they could take months to recover.

While eight men were picked up from Topa Pir village on the evening of December 21, five were picked up from Pangai village in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri district.

Of those from Topa Pir, three died in custody: Safeer Ahmed (48), and his cousins Mohammad Showkat (28) and Shabir Ahmed (25).

According to a relative of one of the victims, the next of kin have been paid Rs 30 lakh – Rs 10 lakh by the Army and Rs 20 lakh by the J&K government – and a one-kanal residential plot (equivalent to 5,420 square feet) at Potha near Surankote.

The injured were paid Rs 2.5 lakh each, Ashraf said, expressing gratitude to the Army Commander for visiting them in February and paying each of them another Rs 20,000 to sustain their families.

The families of the men are also trying to get their children admitted to an Army school. Noor Ahmed, a BSF head constable whose brother Safeer Ahmed was killed in custody, said they have been assured of help in the matter.