Political parties term Shopian encounter “fake”, demand probe,Army says investigating the matter
Srinagar, August 10: Hours after PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter, Iltija Mufti demanded probe into the “staged encounter” in Shopian, army said that it is investigating the matter.
Iltija Mufti tweeted that probes must be ordered into recent encounters.
“Shocked to hear about reports of 3 missing labourers reportedly killed in a staged encounter at Shopian. Armed forces have a free hand to operate with impunity. Explains why bodies are allowed to decompose at unknown locations. Probes into recent encounters must be ordered,” she tweeted.
Iltija retweeted a tweed of senior journalist Ahmed Ali Fayyaz in which the latter said all three “suspected militants” killed in Amshipora Shopian ‘encounter’ on 18 July 2020, have been repeatedly identified as the missing labourers of Rajouri on basis of photographs by the families.
“If true, first such case after killing of 3 Nadihal civilians in Kupwara in 2010,” he tweeted.
In response to the tweets, army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia in a statement said, that army is investigating the matter.
“We have noted social media inputs linked to the operation at Shopian on 18 Jul 2020. The three militants killed during the operation have not been identified and the bodies were buried based on established protocols.”
“Army is investigating the matter,” he said in a statement released to media.
Police and army had claimed that it had killed three unidentified militants in an encounter in Amshipora in Shopian on July 18.
Meanwhile, CPI (M) has also demanded “time-bound” judicial probe in missing case of Rajouri laborers.
“According to media reports the trio went missing just a day before the security forces claimed it killed three unidentified militants in Shopian. There are unverified reports that the missing labourers have been killed in a fake encounter in Shopian on July 18. This is shocking and must be probed by a sitting High Court judge in a time-bound manner,” CPI (M) said in a statement.
The statement said in the past also unfortunate incidents of civilians being killed in fake encounters for rewards and promotions have been reported in Kashmir.
“The 2010 unrest was the creation of the Machil fake encounter. Those who are proved to be involved in such heinous crimes be brought to justice,” it said.
The Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari sought an impartial and time bound probe to unearth the mystery behind the disappearance of three poor labourers of Rajouri district.
In a statement issued to news agency KDC, Bukhari urged the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to order a high level probe into the disappearance of three labourers–Imtiaz Ahmed, son of Sagar Hussain, Ibrar Ahmed, son of Bagha Khan and Ibrar Ahmed son of Mohammad Yousuf whose whereabouts are unknown since July 17.
“The Lt. Governor led government in J&K is expected to order and pursue a serious, impartial and transparent investigation that leaves no stone unturned in finding out what happened to these three poor labourers who have lost contact with their families since July 17. The truth behind their missing must be unearthed as quickly as possible,” he remarked.
The JKAP president hoped that the government will assign the probe to some sitting judge who can lead the investigations while taking all the factors into consideration.
Bukhari expressed solidarity with the families of these three missing labourers and assured them of all possible help in tracing the whereabouts of their loved ones.