Pak Army subjected me to brutalities; would drug me to make anti-India statements: Chandu Chavan

Chandu Chavan, a 23-year-old Indian jawan, who was released by the Pakistani army in 2017 after crossing over to the border, has recounted how he was tortured by the troops. Chandu is convinced that Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian Naval officer who is been put on the death row by Pakistan for alleged espionage, has suffered similar atrocities.

While speaking to Hindustan Times, Chavan said had crossed over to the border after the Pakistan terrorists had violated ceasefire and killed 19 Indian Army personnel in Uri in 2016. Chavan told the daily that he wanted revenge. He went in his combat gear and a gun, but was spotted by locals before he was knocked out by Pakistan Army troops.

“Some army officers walked into the post in civil dress to check on him and thus began his four-month ordeal of tackling interrogations, severe physical pain caused by numerous injections, nails being pulled out and cigarette butts being put into his back, to the point that h nearly lost his mind,” the report said.

Chavan said he was subjected to utmost brutality. “They used to keep hitting me till I’d lose consciousness. And then they would administer me medicines,” he said. The Pakistani troops would question him about the surgical strikes.

“Every time they wanted to move me to another post, they would give me injections which made me feel drowsy. This was also the point when they would make my videos by asking me to speak against India. I think they did this with everyone. Even Kulbhushan would have gone through the same,” said Chavan. “They were clearly baffled by the surgical strikes. My answers only fetched my more blows and in one instance they even tried to pull his nails out. They would hit me on my heels, and tell me that I would be put in a cell full of bugs,” he added.

Since he did not break down that easily, a team of Pakistani soldiers would walk into his cell every day carrying a rubber belt which was attached to a wooden handle, and hit him incessantly.

Unable to take the beating, Chavan started replying in Marathi, and he believes that they thought he went mad.  

Meanwhile both Indian and Pakistani armies negotiated with each other for months in the midst of the raging discontentment between the two nations and finally Chavan was released.