The army Wednesday confirmed that many of its soldiers, including three Kashmiri army men, are being questioned to ascertain their possible role in leaking information about the travel plans of a slain soldier Aurangzeb who was killed while on leave last year.
Aurangzeb, who had proceeded on leave for Eid on June 14, 2018, was abducted and later shot in the head and neck by suspected militants. His body was found by a team of Jammu and Kashmir police and army officials at Gussu village, about 10 kms from Kalampora, in Pulwama district, from where he was abducted. Aurangzeb had taken a lift from a private vehicle outside his camp in Shopian but was being tracked by militants, who stopped the car and abducted him a few kilometres away, an army official said.
“There is a set standard operating procedure that after every killing of a soldier during travel or otherwise, an in-house inquiry is ordered. Same was followed in the case of Aurangzeb,” a senior army officer told Greater Kashmir, insisting not to be named as he wasn’t authorised to speak to media.
He said as part of the inquiry procedure, not just three Kashmiri soldiers—Abid Wani, Tajamul Ahmed and Adil Wani—but many other soldiers of the unit were questioned.
“The three Kashmiri soldiers haven’t been detained or arrested yet. They are being questioned along with others,” the officer said.
Asked whether the trio was involved in leaking information about the travel movements of Aurangzeb, he said: “Till the inquiry is over, nothing can be said.”
Last year, on the occasion of August 15, Aurangzeb was awarded with Shauriya Chakra posthumously. His father joined the Bharatiya Janata Party recently in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jammu.
A source said the police was also independently probing Aurangzeb’s killing and have sought “cooperation from the army.”
Interestingly, Tasweef Ahmed, brother of one of the Kashmiri soldiers (Abid) facing questioning, has been admitted in Srinagar’s SMHS hospital after he alleged that he was beaten to pulp in an army camp at Shadimarg, Pulwama, by an officer of a major rank.
Tawseef also alleged that he was asked to keep a gun in his hand and pose for a photograph.
When asked about thrashing of Tawseef, army’s Srinagar-based spokesman, colonel Rajesh Kalia said: “We are ascertaining the facts.”