An Army court has recommended life imprisonment for a captain involved in the staged killings of three Kashmiri men at Amshipora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district in 2020.
Captain Bhoopendra Singh was court-martialled after a court of inquiry and a subsequent summary of evidence found that troops under his command had exceeded their powers under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act.
On 18 July, 2020, Imtiyaz Ahmed (20), Abrar Ahmed (25) and Mohammed Abrar (16) from Jammu’s Rajouri district were killed and branded terrorists by troops under the officer’s command in Shopian district. The trio were shot down in what their family member while speaking to Maktoob termed as cold-blooded murders.
“The Indian Army stands firm on its principle of conducting ethical operations and has zero tolerance towards human rights violations and cases of misdemeanour,” Indian Express quotes an official as saying.
“Recommended punishment of life imprisonment for Captain involved in Amshipora fake encounter is a welcome step towards creating accountability in such cases.Hope an impartial probe is also ordered in Lawapora & Hyderpora encounters to prevent repetition of such ghastly incidents,” said J&K former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
There have been numerous allegations of extrajudicial killings in Jammu and Kashmir. Most of those summarily executed are falsely reported to have died during armed clashes between the army and militants in what are euphemistically called “encounter killings.”
