Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha walks half a kilometre to meet families of Shopian fake encounter victims

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday assured the parents of three slain youth killed in an alleged fake encounter by the army that justice will be delivered at any cost.

Official sources said Sinha travelled half-a kilometer by foot to reach Tarkassi village in Rajouri district of Jammu region to meet the family members of the slain youth killed in a fake encounter on July 18 in Amshipora, Shopian in south Kashmir.

The LG first addressed a public gathering in a Rajouri village and later walked almost half a kilometer to reach Tarkassi village. “Here, Sinha visited the residence of Muhammad Yousuf, the father of one of the slain youths. Other two families were also present at Yousuf’s house. The LG gave a patient hearing to the demands put forth by the families of the slain trio and assured them all the possible help,” they said.

On July 18, the Army had claimed that three unidentified militants were killed in Amshipora village in the higher reaches of Shopian. However, the Amshipora encounter came under scrutiny after three families from the Rajouri claimed that the trio killed were their kin and labourers by profession.

Following these claims, the Army and the Police ordered separate inquiries into the matter. The DNA samples of the families were taken on August 13 and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination and comparison with the “three unidentified slain militants”.

On September 25, the DNA sample reports of the three slain persons matched with their parents. On October 3, the bodies of the three were exhumed and handed over to their families.

Earlier, on September 18, the Army initiated disciplinary action against unnamed soldiers and officers involved in the Amshipora encounter. In a brief statement, the Army accepted that its men ‘prima facie’ violated powers under Armed Forces Special Powers Acts (AFSPA).

The outcome of the probe into the Amshipora encounter was made public after the J&K LG met Army Chief General Manoj Naravane during the latter’s two-day visit to Kashmir on September 17. Prior to that ,the families of the slain had knocked at the doors of the LG demanding a probe and making their DNA reports public.