Shopian 'fake' encounter: Captain among 3 named in chargesheet

Deputy Superintendent of Police Wajahat Hussain, who is heading the inquiry committee, presented a 300-page challan against the three before Principal and Sessions Judge Shopian.

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) police on Saturday produced a chargesheet in a court against three people including an Army Captain for their involvement in an alleged "fake" encounter in Shopian district in which three civilians were killed.

Police said the chargesheet was produced in the court of the principal district and sessions judge of Shopian.

"The three accused in this case are Captain Bhupinder of 62 Rashtriya Rifles, Bilal Ahmad, resident of Pulwama and Tabish Ahmad, resident of Shopian," said Wajahat Hussain, Deputy Superintendent of Police,

Hussain has been heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to probe the case.

Wajahat Hussain presented a 300-page challan against the three persons involved in the case before Principal and Sessions Judge Shopian.

The Army on Thursday issued a statement saying that the process of summary evidence had been completed in the Amshipora (Shopian) encounter of July 18, 2020, in which three labourers were killed although they had no connection with any militant activity.

READ:Shopian encounter: Thousands attend funeral of slain civilians

The Army said the summary of evidence was being examined by legal experts to ascertain if further action was needed in this case.

After relatives of the three slain labourers belonging to Rajouri district of Jammu division raised a hue and cry, police conducted DNA profiling of the three families and it was established that the killed persons were locals.

It had been claimed by those who carried out the encounter that the three were foreign terrorists from whose possession arms and ammunition was recovered.

The Army has now accepted that the three involved persons had exceeded their powers which were vested in them under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

The three slain civilians were identified as Abrar Ahmad, 25, Mohammad Ibrar, 16 and Imtiyaz Ahmad, 20.

Their bodies were later exhumed and handed over to their families for the final rites.

With inputs from IANS