Life sentence for Captain for ‘staged’ encounter in Kashmir’s Amshipura

3 civilians were killed in July 2020 | Verdict subject to confirmation by higher Army authorities

New Delhi, March 5

A general court martial (GCM) has recommended life imprisonment to a Captain in connection with the killing of three civilians in a “staged encounter” at Amshipura in Shopian district of Kashmir in July 2020.

The GCM’s verdict is subject to confirmation by the Army headquarters in Delhi, following which the officer will have the right to move a civilian court. Sources said the punishment recommended by the GCM was finalised by the Army HQ after a rigorous process involving due legal consultation. The officer has pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against him.

Capt Bhoopendra Singh was subjected to the GCM proceedings after a Court of Inquiry and Summary of Evidence found that the powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) had been used in “excess”.

Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrar – all from Rajouri — were killed in a remote village in Shopian district of Kashmir in July 2020.

After protests had erupted in Kashmir over the issue, the Army had constituted a Court of Inquiry which found prima facie evidence against the Captain.

The Court of Inquiry was completed in the last week of December 2020.

The Captain was accused of not following the dos and don’ts laid down by the Army for counter-terrorism operations.

Separately, the Jammu and Kashmir Police also constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident and filed a chargesheet, alleging that wrong information was provided to the police about the recovery made during the encounter in July 2020.

Two civilians were also named in the SIT chargesheet.

About The July 2020 case

Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrar from Rajouri dist were killed in a village of Shopian on July 18, 2020, and labelled ‘terrorists’
Following protests in Kashmir, a Court of Inquiry (CoI) was convened by the Army
CoI held that AFSPA provisions were misused & SOPs violated
J&K Police also set up an SIT, which filed a chargesheet against three persons, including the Capt, for ‘fake encounter’
Tabish Nazir & Bilal Ahmed Lone, also named in the chargesheet, in police custody
Identity of the youths was confirmed through DNA test I Bodies were handed over to kin in Baramulla in Oct 2020 and buried in native village

Courtesy The Tribune