Army frisks people, then demands NOC 
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Poonch, June 9
Even as ‘every now and then’ the army faces allegations of human rights violations in the garb of frisking, it has found a new way to save itself from legal ramifications. In border districts of Rajouri and Poonch the Army seeks a ‘no objection certificate’ from the people after subjecting them to the frisking.


Army personnel frisking a young boy at a mobile checkpoint near Shindra in Poonch district. Photo by writer
In fact, sources in the district administration here and in Rajouri district divulged that in order to save itself from legal ramifications of frisking, the army seeks NOC from the people after subjecting them to the same at the mobile checkpoints in these twin border districts. They added that police is acting as a witness to the whole alleged ‘drama’ to give frisking a more legal face.
“Since the Army is itself seeking the NOC from the people after subjecting them to frisking, people cannot afford but to oblige for fear of being harassed. What makes the whole ‘drama’ more interesting is the fact that the police is made as one of the two witnesses in the whole procedure. The NOC the copy of which is with The Tribune reads “It is certified that vehicle number — driven by me (name) — has been checked on — 2008. There is no divergence found in it. It is further certified that no locals were harassed/manhandled.” In the document to be signed by a local, the police is one of the witnesses and the other witness is some other local accompanying that person.
“Though the Army continues to harass people in the name of frisking, yet they are now wise enough to give it a legal face. Can we afford not to sign the NOC?” asked a local preferring anonymity, after undergoing frisking at Shindra on the Surankote-Poonch road here.
Justifying the procedure, an Army officer said “we never resort to harassment during frisking and even people by signing the NOC are justifying this fact, or better say act. He said the frisking was done for safety of people. Repeated attempts to contact respective deputy commissioners of Rajouri and Poonch couldn’t materialise since they didn’t attend to their calls. “We will have to examine the matter,” a senior officer here said.