Court martial proceedings have been initiated by the Army against an officer for violating powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the killing of three civilians at Amshipora in Shopian last year in a fake encounter.
“The Army has initiated general court martial proceedings against a captain in Op Amshipora, Shopian in south Kashmir in July 2020, after the court of inquiry and the summary of evidence indicated a need for disciplinary proceedings," spokesman of Army’s Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Col Emran Mosavi, said in a statement. "Indian Army is committed to ethical conduct of operations. Further updates on the case will be shared in a manner so as not to prejudice due process of law."
The operation was led by Captain Bupinder Singh.
Three youths, all cousins, hailed from Rajouri, and had travelled to Shopian for work. Last year on July 18 , the Army had claimed three militants in an operation at Amshipora in Shopian. The J&K Police, which generates most of the intelligence against the militants and takes lead in operations, had distanced itself from the claims made by the Army.
The families of the three slain youths, labourers, lodged a missing report with the police in Rajouri after their photos circulated on the social media. After the police launched an investigation into the matter, the Army on August 18 said DNA samples of the family members of the three youths have been collected for matching with the "terrorists".
“The Army had said that its probe prima facie found that its troops exceeded powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and directed disciplinary proceedings against those “answerable”, an Army statement said. The Army also ordered a court of inquiry into the encounter to verify the claims made by the families of the three youths. The J&K Police had also constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident, and filed a chargesheet against three people, including Captain Singh, for "staging a fake encounter" in the higher reaches of Shopian district and killing three men.
The chargesheet had alleged that Captain Singh had provided wrong information to his superiors and the police about the recovery made during the staged encounter.
