Change reaches Jammu village that saw Army custodial killings. Residents ask: At what cost? - The Indian Express

As she sweeps her tiny courtyard just outside her new single-storey house in Poonch’s remote tribal village of Topa Pir, Zainab Bi pauses for a minute to catch her breath. She stops as a load carrier trundles past the house on the newly laid road made of broken stones.

The house was a dream of the 80-year-old’s family, made possible by the new 1.7-km road that has brought the so-far-remote tribal village of Topa Pir, some 10 km from the Bufliaz bridge in Poonch, closer to J&K’s strategic Thannamandi-DKG–Bufliaz road — and the rest of the Union Territory.

But for Zainab, both the house and the road carry a painful memory — that of her 48-year-old son, Safeer Ahmed. Safeer was one of three civilians killed during custodial torture by Rashtriya Rifles troops on December 22, 2023. At the time, families of the three civilians described to The Indian Express cuts, bruises and burn marks on the bodies.

Last month, the Chandigarh Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) upheld the Indian Army’s decision to award “severe displeasure” to Brigadier P Acharya, the officer who commanded the troops accused in the Topa Pir incident. The Bench noted that while the incident came in the wake of an ambush by terrorists on the DKG-Bufliaz road that left four soldiers dead and three injured, “emotions cannot override military discipline and the legal obligation to treat the civilians humanely” for troops involved in follow-up operations.

However, for people like Zainab, closure feels distant and the pain acute, especially given that her oldest son is still serving in the Army. Memories of her lost son now haunt her: they lurk in the corners of the grey house, stand beside her in the mud-and-stone kitchen as she makes tea, and crouch behind the blue plastic drum in one corner of the courtyard.

Much has changed in the house: Zainab’s husband passed away six months after they lost Safeer, and her grandchildren are away at school. Her only companion now is Safeer’s widow, Zareena Begum.

“Building this was possible because of this new road. Lekin jo mujhse lena tha woh le gaye (they’ve taken from me what they could),” she says. “My son used to work very hard to earn a living for his family. The kids all lived here, and we were happy. It is lonely now. I wake up in the morning and look forward to nothing.”

Topa Pir is a village of about 30 households in J&K’s Poonch district, sitting high on the forested terrain of the Pir Panjal. Before the new but not-yet-macadamised road came up, reaching Topa Pir was an odious task: it meant an hour’s drive uphill on a dilapidated road and then a 30-minute trek through the forest from an unmarked point just off the DKG-Bufliaz road.

On December 22, 2023, the local unit of the 48 Rashtriya Rifles picked up nine men from Topa Pir’s Gujjar Bakerwal community. Three of them — Safeer, 28-year-old Mohammad Showkat, and 25-year-old Mohammad Shabir — never made it back, while six others had to be treated for severe torture wounds at an Army health facility in Potha.

The incident occurred following the deaths of four Indian Army soldiers in a militant ambush near the village. After the custodial deaths, the Army issued a two-year administrative censure of “severe displeasure” against Brigadier Acharya and removed his unit from the area.

Acharya challenged the disciplinary action, but on August 20, 2026, the Armed Forces Tribunal upheld the Army’s decision.

Since the alleged incident, much has changed in the village. After the 2023 incident, the Army adopted Topa Pir as a ‘model village’, facilitating its transformation.

On the new 1.7-km road now winding through the village, water pipelines are still being laid, and solar panels gleam from the porches of homes. A small shed now serves as a bus stop, while the stretch of road from Bufliaz Bridge to the bus stop is metalled, taking vehicles only a few minutes to cover, down from the earlier 60 minutes.

Where darkness once fell with sunset, the village now stays bright 24×7, powered by two solar bulbs in every household.

There are other changes too: the only primary school, which previously had just a room where students up to Class 5 sat on the floor, has now been upgraded into a middle school, although villagers claim this is yet to be functional.

“Two years ago, a health sub-centre was operating out of a one-room structure, but now, in the community hall built by the troops, one room has been furnished as the health centre and another as the computer centre,” Mehboob Bhat, former sarpanch of the neighbouring Mastan Dara Panchayat, says.

As compensation for the deaths of the three men, the district administration has provided jobs to their next of kin. Safeer’s widow Zareena Begum and Showkat’s brother Mohammad Razzaq are both attached to the health sub-centre, while Shabir’s brother Kabir now works in the village for the Jal Shakti Department.

Meanwhile, the Army has helped secure admissions and scholarships for the victims’ children: for instance, Safeer’s son is studying at an Army school, and his daughter is studying at a private school on an Army scholarship.

But in the village, the road, lights, education schemes and jobs sit uncomfortably alongside the memories of that December day. Back at his house — a three-room structure with a bare courtyard — near the newly built community centre, Wali limps across the room and sits on a folded mattress with some difficulty.

“I can’t forget my son’s face, the bruises on his body. The Army is meant to protect the people of this country. But if the poor are not protected, is there a point?”

At the same time, he says, “The pain of losing those boys, whom we have seen grow up, pinches every heart here. But the entire Army cannot be termed bad for the wrongs of a few people.”

Barely 100 metres from his house, Showkat’s 62-year-old father Nazir Hussain shares his pain. The Army’s internal inquiries, he says, do not provide them with any relief. “It is only an inquiry. There should be clarity on what they did and the punishment.”

As he looks at the road, Hussain shows some disdain. “Every village gets a road. Did people have to die for us to get here?” he asks.

Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies. Expertise Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed has spent over a decade documenting the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir. Her reporting is distinguished by deep contextual knowledge of the region's post-Article 370, statehood debates, and local electoral politics. Key Coverage Beats: Her extensive body of work covers: Politics & Governance: Tracking the National Conference (NC), PDP, and BJP dynamics, including in-depth coverage of J&K’s first Assembly sessions and Rajya Sabha polls following the reorganization of the state. Internal Security & Justice: Providing rigorous reporting on counter-insurgency operations, terror module investigations, and judicial developments involving political detainees and constitutional rights. Education & Minority Affairs: Highlighting systemic issues such as quota rows in J&K, public service commission reforms, and the challenges faced by minority communities. ... Read More