Of the 13 Poonch residents who were rounded up after the December 21 terror attack, three were allegedly tortured to death, while five each were admitted to two separate hospitals.
Following the incident, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with Army chief General Manoj Pande visited Rajouri and met the families of the three civilians who died. The families said Singh had assured them justice.
He, however, asserted that due to the efforts of the security personnel, there has been a significant drop in violence in the interior areas of Jammu and Kashmir.
On the ongoing military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, he said the Army's primary aim is to go back to status quo ante which existed mid-2020, before planning a de-escalation of troops in the region.