India / Evidence shows soldiers exceeded powers during J&K encounter that killed 3: Army

New Delhi: The Indian Army has initiated disciplinary proceedings against its troops for “exceeding” powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) during an encounter in Kashmir’s Shopian district in which three men were killed in July. Notably, the matter came to light after the families of the three men from Rajouri who worked as labourers in Shopian had filed a missing report with the police.

The Army said it has found “prima facie” evidence against its troop and will initiate action against them. But, it did not specify how many Army men are being proceeded against.

In a brief statement, the Army said the Shopian operation contravened the dos and don’ts of the Chief of Army Staff approved by the Supreme Court.

“The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded and the Do’s and Don’ts of Chief of Army Staff 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,” the statement said.

On July 18, the Army claimed three militants were killed in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Committed to ethical conduct during anti-militancy operations, the Army initiated an inquiry after social media reports indicated the three men were from Rajouri district in Jammu and had gone missing at Amshipura, said Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the defence spokesperson in Srinagar. The probe was completed in a record four weeks.

The evidence collected indicates the three unidentified terrorists killed in Amshipura were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrar who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. “Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police,” the statement said.

General Officer Commanding Lt Gen BS Raju had taken note of social media reports and initiated a probe into the incident. A general advertisement was published in local newspapers, asking people with any “credible information” about the case to step forward and share it with the court of inquiry instituted by the Army.

Relatives of the three youths, belonging to Dhar Sakri village in Kotranka of Rajouri area in Poonch, had lodged a written missing persons report in the local police station after they lost contact with them on July 17. The three were working as labourers in apple and walnut orchards in Amshipura.