Shopian fake encounter: Bodies of 3 Rajouri youth to be handed over to families: IGP Kashmir
Srinagar: Bodies of the three youth from Rajouri, who were killed and passed off as militants in a fake encounter at Amshipora village of Shopian district on July 18 by the Army are being handed over to the families “after due process of law”, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Range, Vijay Kumar said on Wednesday.
Kumar said that the bodies, which have been buried in north Kashmir will be exhumed and handed over to families after the due process of law.
The statement comes amid persistent demand from the poor families, seeking bodies of the trio— Abrar Ahmed (25), Imtiyaz Ahmed (20) and Mohammed Ibrar (16) —and immediate arrest along with stern punishment to those behind the killings.
It comes more than a week after army said its high-level Court of Inquiry brought out “certain prima facie evidence indicating that the powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded during the operation.”
Army recently said the “Do’s and Don’ts of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as approved by the Supreme Court have been contravened”.
“Consequently, the competent disciplinary authority has directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable,” it said.
The army said the “evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified (militants) killed in Op Amshipora were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Ibrar, who hailed from Rajouri”.
On July 18, police in a statement had said that three militants were killed in gunfight with joint team of police, army and CRPF in Shopian district on an input by army.
“On a specific input by 62RR about presence of (militants) in village Amshipora area, an operation was launched by them in the area,” a police spokesperson had said.
During search, he had said, the militants fired upon Army and encounter started. “Later on police and CRPF also joined. During encounter three unidentified militants were killed,” he had said in the statement, adding, “Bodies of all the killed three (militants) were retrieved from the site of encounter.” However, he had said, the identification and group affiliation of the slain was being ascertained.
“Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter,” he had said. (GNS)
