The army chief, General Manoj Pande, on Thursday said commanders and troops had been instructed to “respect human rights” and there would be “zero tolerance” for any violation.

His comments came against the backdrop of allegations that the army had tortured three villagers to death in Poonch, Jammu, to avenge a militant ambush that had killed four soldiers in the area.

Pande said the security situation in the Rajouri-Poonch sector was a “cause for concern” and the army’s operations in the area would continue.

“There is a clear instruction for commanders and soldiers on the ground — respect for human rights. There will be zero tolerance for any violation, and the standard operating procedures have been clearly laid down. This is something that I have emphasised,” he told a news conference ahead of Army Day, January 15.

“Our operations in those areas will continue relentlessly,” Pande added.

Following protests against the alleged custody killings in Poonch, the army had instituted a probe and removed a brigadier and at least two other officers of the Rashtriya Rifles.

“We have already taken follow-up action. The affected village has been adopted by the army,” Pande said, referring to the village where the three slain men lived.

Without naming Pakistan, he said India’s adversaries were helping militants in Rajouri and Poonch and that tactical lessons needed to be learnt from the series of setbacks in the region, where 20 soldiers had been killed in the past year.

“In the last five-six months, in Rajouri and Poonch, there has been an increase in terror activities. This is a matter of concern,” the army chief said.

“By 2003, terrorism in this area had been fully (contained) and peace was established there till 2017-18. But now, because the situation is becoming normal in the Valley, our adversaries are active in abetting terrorism and encouraging proxy tanzeems (terror groups) in this area.”

He added: “In the last three years, 45 terrorists were eliminated in this area. Last year alone there were five infiltration bids, which were foiled, and six terrorists were eliminated in those attempts.

“Even in the hinterland, about 14 terrorists were neutralised last year. A total of 71 terrorists were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in the past year, including 52 in the Valley.”

Pande outlined a nine-point action plan to improve the situation in Rajouri-Poonch, including enhanced intelligence gathering and better synergy with police and security officials, a civilian outreach, and respect for human rights.

Inadequate human and electronic intelligence was a hindrance to security operations in Rajouri-Poonch, the army chief acknowledged.

Asked about talks between Bhutan and China to resolve their boundary dispute, he suggested that developments that had a bearing on India’s security were being “closely monitored”.

Pande described the situation along the Indo-Myanmarese border as a matter of concern that was being “closely” watched.

Manipur

The general said the army was working to help restore normality and stability to strife-torn Manipur. He underscored that the Assam Rifles had displayed “a lot of restraint” to avoid “collateral damage or civilian casualties” in the face of provocation.

He said the big “challenge” was the missing weapons: “Only 30 per cent of (the snatched or looted) weapons have been recovered.”

Pande added: “I want to highlight that we have soldiers from both (Meitei and Kuki-Zo) communities who sleep, eat and live together. They function without any issues at all.

“Combined efforts by the state administration, army and the Assam Rifles have been able to stabilise the situation. We are working to normalise the situation and ensure stability.”