'Disturbing' photos prompt retd Lt Gen to seek Army probe into Hashimpura case

Saying that it was "disturbing" to see the pictures of the Army during the 1987 communal riots in Hashimpura, Lt Gen. HS Panag (retd) has sought a thorough probe by the force so that lessons can be learnt.
A former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army's Northern and Central Commands, Panag has said he would soon write to Army chief Gen. Dalbir Singh seeking a probe into the incident, which was the precursor to the Hashimpura massacre.
"It was disturbing to see the pictures published now of Army personnel pointing gun at a child," he said after airing his views on social media.

Panag said he would write to the Army chief seeking a probe into the matter so that a lesson can be learnt and an advisory prepared for the future.
Meanwhile, Army sources said that no case has "come to light" in respect of Army's role in the incident.
"It has been almost 30 years. No case has come to light with regard to the Army's involvement in this particular incident," the sources rpt sources said.

The pictures shows Army personnel rounding up people as they tried to quell the communal riots in Hashimpura. Panag was then a Lt Col. Posted with the Army headquarters here.

Eyewitness accounts say that the Army carried out house- to-house searches in Hashimpura and rounded up people who were eventually handed over to the Provincial Armed Constabulary.
A sessions court on March 21 had acquitted the 16 surviving PAC personnel accused of massacring 42 Muslims in Hashimpura.
"Ashamed in 87, more ashamed now as was not aware of the dubious role of the IA. Salute to Praveen Jain!," Panag said in a tweet after seeing the photos by Praveen Jain. The retired Army officer's tweet also gave the Youtube link to a witness account video by Jain.
Panag also tweeted that all the records were available with the office of Military Operations.

"Even if an exception deserves to be investigated. Never seen such disturbing photos of IA," he had tweeted.
Panag also sought to distinguish between the role of the PAC and that of the Army as he tweeted that these were two different issues. The PAC's case related to the massacre while the Army's misconduct was a fallout of the incident, he said, adding that the "photos tell the tale".