Court martial in Amshipora fake encounter killing of 3: Life term for Army officer

On July 18, 2020, Imtiyaz Ahmed (20), Abrar Ahmed (25) and Mohammed Abrar (16), all labourers hailing from Jammu’s Rajouri district, were shot and branded as terrorists by troops under the officer’s command in Shopian district. The J&K Police set up a Special Investigation Team, which filed a chargesheet against three persons, including Captain Singh, for “staging” the encounter.

Following the Army court’s recommendation, an officer said, “The Indian Army stands firm on its principle of conducting ethical operations and has zero tolerance towards human rights violations and cases of misdemeanour.”

The recommendation was welcomed by PDP and NC. Both parties also sought impartial probes in other encounters, including those in Lawapora and Hyderpora.

“It is important to note that this case highlights the need for better accountability and oversight mechanisms within the armed forces to prevent such incidents from happening in the first place,” PDP chief and former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti said in a statement.

“Going forward, it is crucial that the armed forces take concrete steps to ensure that their personnel adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct,” she said.

“It is a welcome decision. Justice has prevailed. The Army has set a good example with the court martial and by punishing the guilty,” NC spokesperson Imran Nabi told The Indian Express.

CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami said justice has been done although “a bit late”. “A sentence has been given. It is appropriate and he deserved it. A bit late but at least justice has been done,” he said.

The Army had launched a court martial in the Amshipora case after its Court of Inquiry confirmed on September 18, 2020, that the three persons killed were labourers. Seven days later, their identities were further confirmed by DNA tests.

According to a statement issued by the Army soon after the incident in July 2020, soldiers of 62 Rashtriya Rifles killed three unidentified militants in a predawn gunfight at Amshipora, and recovered two pistols from them. The killings, however, came under suspicion after the police dissociated themselves from the incident. The three victims were later discreetly buried in a graveyard in north Kashmir.

On August 9, 2020, families of the three approached police saying Ahmad and Abrar of Dharsakri village and Abrar Ahmad of Tarkasi village had gone missing from Kashmir, where they had gone for work. They said the trio had travelled to the Valley through the Shopian mountains on foot.

A day later, when pictures of bodies of the Amshipora victims were leaked on social media, the Rajouri families identified them as the missing trio, forcing the Army to issue a brief statement that they were “investigating the matter”.

On October 3, 2020, following the findings of the Court of Inquiry, the three bodies were exhumed and returned to the families for burial. On December 26, 2020, police filed a chargesheet against Captain Bhoopendra Singh and two civilians in the case.

According to official data, the Centre received 108 complaints about human rights violations allegedly committed by the Army between 2017 and July 2022. In 2020, the Army established a human rights cell at its headquarters to handle such cases.