STRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE

504 | Structures of Violence
Lettar Camp
4. Major Raju, 9 Dogra Lettar Camp
Case Information
In 1992 [victim does not remember the month or date],
the victim was returning from his in-laws' house from
Rakh Lettar. On his way, there was a BSF patrolling
party passing through the same area. Gurnam Singh,
company commander, BSF, Bonura Camp, Pulwama,
and Sub-inspector Alawat then abducted the victim
from there and took him to their camp [the victim found
their names out because he was made to spend a long
time in the camp]. One of the army personnel pulled his
collar from behind and put his shirt over his face so that
he would not be able to see anything. He was then
taken for about 2 kms on foot, at which point they
reached a river Nilora. Here, they took his shirt off and
put his head into the water; they kept repeating the
process for the next two hours. Then, they put his shirt
over his face once more and took him to Bonura Camp.
Even though the victim was afliated to the Peoples'
League, the BSF personnel who abducted him were
unaware of it because they never asked him about any
of his afliations.
At Bonura camp, the victim saw that about 30-35
persons had been abducted. The forces were asking
all of them about the whereabouts and weapons of
militants. The victim was tortured at the camp
continuously for 22 days.
First torture: In the camp, the victim was made to lie on
the oor near the opening of a water tank, which was
buried under the ground and its opening was at the
same height as the oor. Then his head was placed
over the opening of the tank and was forcibly
immersed into the water tank. During this process, a
few BSF personnel stood over the shoulders and back
of the victim.
Second torture: The victim was stripped and both his
legs were tied and then stretched, by pulling the ropes
around his legs; electric wires were attached to his
toes, mouth, around the belly and his chest. They then
put water on him so that his entire body would get
electric shocks.
Third torture: The victim was stripped and hot candle
wax was put on his body. The food that they gave him
was not edible and was given to him in dirty utensils.
The victim was kept in the camp for four and a half
months and then was shifted to JIC Pulwama.
At the JIC Pulwama, the victim was kept in custody for
six months. However, he was not subject to any torture
there. He was charged under the Public Safety Act
[PSA] while in the JIC.
Six months later, he was taken to Central Jail and kept
there till 1996. The victim was not subject to any torture
in the jail. He was released after the completion of his
sentence on 3 June 1996.
In 1997 [probably in January], the victim was arrested
again. It was the month of Ramzan and the victim was
in Aitikaf inside the masjid. Major Raju [a Sikh], 9
Dogra Lettar Camp came and arrested him from there.
He was released the same day. He returned to the
masjid, resumed Aitikaf and completed it on Eid, after
which he returned home.
At 9:30 pm that day, personnel of 9 Dogra Lettar camp
raided his house. Lt. Col. Patel was the camp-incharge
and led the personnel who picked him up. The
victim's hands were tied behind his back and he was
taken to Chokur, Chudribagh on foot, almost 2 kms
away from his house.
At Chudribagh, the victim was put in a tractor and was
taken to the camp. They reached the camp at 12 am.
From then on till the morning Azaan, he was tortured.
They would give him electric shocks, put cloth in his
mouth and put water on his face. After sunrise, the
victim was taken to Kalpora Chowk and from there he
was dragged home naked on the snow.
Right after reaching home, they took him back to the
camp and kept him there for another 9 days. He was
tortured once more – his head was immersed in water
that was mixed with chili powder. The victim was kept
in a bunker and there was nothing by which he could
warm himself.
After a few days in the camp, a second ofcer Ram
Dutt approached the victim and told him that he was
innocent. He took him near a “bukhari” where the
victim was able to warm himself. Ram Dutt told the
victim “as soon as you will be released, you should
shift to a different place to live”. When the victim was
released, he did exactly that and shifted to Srinagar.
He lived there for 12 years.
But during these years, his father and brother were
picked up by personnel of the 9 Dogra Lettar camp,
taken to the camp and interrogated there. The father of
the victim was told to produce the victim or else they
would kill the entire family.
The victim neither lodged an FIR nor did he approach
the court because of the threat of the Army to kill their
family.
As per the victim, he was arrested many times by the 9
Dogra army personnel and it was all happening on the
instructions of the Lt. Col. Patel. He has done the same
with many other inhabitants of the village.
The victim, Abdul Rashid Dar, gave the above
statement to the IPTK on 7 April 2015.
The victim's statement is clear and cogent evidence is
presented of the torture by alleged perpetrators 1-3.
The allegations warrant further investigation. The role