A father of four children allegedly committed suicide after being told that security forces had tortured and humiliated his family over last week’s militant attack that killed five soldiers in Poonch district of Jammu.

The forces allegedly thrashed the nine-year-old son and brothers of Mukhtar Hussain Shah, 44, and blindfolded his aged father before tying him to a chair.

“Police had summoned him (Mukhtar) for questioning yesterday (Wednesday). Meanwhile, there was a raid on our home by the SOG (special operations group of the police),” Mukhtar’s elder brother Sarfaraz told The Telegraph over the phone from their village Nar in Poonch.

“They thrashed us, including his nine-year-old son and tied our 90-year-old father to a chair after blindfolding him. They abused us.”

Sarfaraz added: “Police had released him (Mukhtar) and he was on his way home. Around 10.30am (on Wednesday), somebody called him to tell him about the raid. He was deeply disturbed and apparently consumed poison. He was shifted to hospital where he died at midnight.”

Nar sarpanch Aftab Ahmad Khan said: “Mukhtar’s family had lost six members — his uncle, aunt and their four children — to a militant attack in 2021. One of them was beheaded. Now they are facing harassment from the other side.

“He has four children, including three daughters. The family wants justice.”

Mukhtar had before his death uploaded a video in which he is purportedly heard saying he was taking the extreme step to save his family and other villagers from harassment.

“My family and I are being tortured. My brothers are detained because of me. I am telling the truth (apparently about his not being involved in militancy) but nobody accepts it,” he says.

“If something is not in my knowledge, it is wrong to exert pressure on me or my family.”

Villagers said Mukhtar had been questioned in 2021 too after militants killed nine soldiers during a weeklong operation in the area in Poonch.

In the video, Mukhtar claims to have offered all assistance to the security forces in that operation, too.

Sarfaraz said the family had continually been harassed since the 2021 operation. “This time, too, they accused us of sheltering militants but found nothing. Today, we staged a protest and blocked the road. The sub-divisional magistrate visited our village and promised a magisterial inquiry, after which we agreed to bury him (Mukhtar),” Sarfaraz said.