NEW DELHI, Feb 6 (1995) – The Indian army has ordered an inquiry into the death in detention of a Kashmiri guerrilla, the Press Trust of India (PTI) said on Monday, quoting a defence ministry spokesman from Srinagar.
The spokesman said Javed Ahmed Bhat, also known as Jana, died in mysterious circumstances while in army custody.
The news agency said Jana was arrested at his home in Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, on January 22 and reportedly died on the night of January 29.
There were protests in Kashmir when Jana’s mutilated body was handed to his next of kin on February 2.
The agency said this was the first time the army had ordered an inquiry into the death in detention of a militant.
The secessionist rebellion in Kashmir, cause of two of the three wars India and Pakistan have fought since independence from Britain in 1947, is in its fifth year. Police and hospitals have reported more than 17,000 deaths.
India accuses Pakistan of training, arming and guiding the militants. Islamabad denies the charges, saying it gives only moral and diplomatic support.
