A 12-year-old boy who reportedly went missing nearly three decades ago has become a thorn in the flesh of a poor Gujjar family in a remote village in Jammu’s Kathua district.
Swar Din alias Swaru Gujjar’s step-nephew Makhan Din, a 25-year-old father of two girls aged four and two, died by suicide after being allegedly tortured by police in Billawar to extract news about his missing step-uncle.
Makhan recorded a video where he claimed he was taking his life because he could not bear police torture any further.
The government has launched a probe into Makhan’s death following an outcry.
This is the second casualty in the family related to Swaru’s mysterious disappearance. Makhan’s grandmother was allegedly killed by the army a decade ago during a raid on the Gujjar home to find the elusive Swaru.
The family has lost count of the times they had been tortured or harassed to get information about Swaru’s whereabouts.
The police claim Swaru is a militant but locals say he went missing a long time ago in neighbouring Punjab.
Chiman Lal, who has served as a three-time sarpanch of the village, said nobody had seen Swaru for around 28 years.
“Swaru was around 12 years old when he was last seen. He was a small-time thief who once accompanied a local called Billu to Punjab. When Billu returned, Swaru was not with him. Billu told everyone that he had left Punjab on his own to return home. But Swaru was never seen after that. Word spread that he had joined militancy. I do not think so and we do not know whether he is dead or alive,” Chiman told The Telegraph.
The Gujjar family’s fresh ordeal began on January 24 when Makhan and his father Murid were summoned to the police station for fresh questioning.
Makhan’s elder brother Lal Din claimed the duo were tortured. While Murid was released in the morning, Makhan was directed to bring all mobile phones from his home.
“The police station is far away from our home. Ours is a mountainous area. Two cops escorted Makhan to a particular spot and ordered him to bring the mobile phones from his home. They knew he could not escape because he was badly tortured,” Lal said.
“When Makhan reached home, he called me over the phone and said he could no longer bear the torture. He said he was kicked by the cops and given electric shocks. The irony is that my brother was not even born when Swaru went missing,” he added.
Makhan went to a mosque and killed himself.
“I have neither seen Swaru nor know where he is. Following the torture, I was forced to lie to them that I have his videos in the phone (to escape torture),” he said in the recorded video.
“I have no videos to show. But they will beat me up again. I am doing this so that the lives of others are saved. Oh god, accept my sacrifice,” he added.
The video stops after Makhan is seen taking out a packet of insecticide fromhis pocket.
Makhan’s cousin Shaheed said his parents were also tortured a few months ago.
“We are tired of telling them that nobody has seen him. Several other people in our locality have been tortured for the same reason,”he said.
On Wednesday evening, the army allegedly shot dead a 32-year-old truck driver, identified as Waseem Ahmad Malla, in Kashmir for jumping the traffic signal.
On Friday, Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said the two deaths hadfollowed “large-scale arbitrary arrests throughout the valley”.
“The unfortunate saga of extra judicial killings and rights violations of people of J&K continues as the perpetrators are never brought to book. This cycle will never cease until accountability is established and justice delivered,” he said on X.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah had on Thursday said such incidents “risk alienating the very people who we need to carry with us on the road to complete normalcy” and promised to order an inquiry.