The Army is questioning three of its own in connection with events leading to the abduction and killing of Rifleman Aurangzeb by terrorists in Pulwama, Kashmir, in June last year, according to media reports.
The reports say three soldiers of 44 Rashtriya Rifles have been detained and are being questioned. Sources revealed that the Army suspects the RR soldiers shared information about Rifleman Aurangzeb and even claimed that more men may be involved in sharing information about the rifleman’s movements with the terrorists.
The defence spokesman, Col Rajesh Kalia, told TOI the Army certainly is conducting an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the abduction and murder of Aurangzeb.
Sources identified the three soldiers being questioned as Abid Wani, Tajamul Ahmad and Adil Wani, all from south Kashmir districts.
Aurangzeb was with 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and had been posted to the 44 Rashtriya Rifles. He was the personal guard of Major Shukla, the Army officer who had killed terrorist Sameer Tiger. Major Shukla was injured in the encounter in which Sameer Tiger was killed at Drubgam village, Pulwama district, on April 30, 2018.
News of the questioning of the soldiers came when on Monday Tawseef Ahmad Wani (27), brother of Armyman Abid Wani of Pulwama (one of the three soldiers being questioned), was summoned by the head of the 44 RR unit at Shadimarg where, Ahmad claims, he was tortured by an Army officer during interrogation about the circumstances that led to the abduction and killing of Aurangzeb, according to media reports.
Tawseef belongs to Achagoza area of Pulwama and is at present under treatment at Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital. The defence spokesman told TOI the details were being ascertained.
Slain rifleman Aurangzeb, who had planned to celebrate Eid with the family in June last year at home in Poonch, had been travelling in the car of a civilian to Pulwama bus stand to catch the bus .
The terrorists intercepted the car a few km before, abducted Aurangzeb and killed him. The rifleman’s body was recovered about 10 km from the site of abduction, at Kalampora, in Pulwama district, the next day with bullets in his neck and head.
The driver of the car was identified as Farooq Ahmad Allai, a pharmacist at a local government health centre. According to Allai, the car was intercepted by terrorists in Kalampora area in Pulwama district.
Allai said he was beaten up by the terrorists who dragged Aurangzeb out of the car and took him away. Allai later reported the incident in detail to the Rajpora police station in Pulwama.