The Jammu and Kashmir High Court today adjourned till next week the hearing of the alleged fake encounter case involving Lt General Bikram Singh,the designate Army Chief. Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir adjourned the case till May 10 after hearing the counsels for Defence ministry and the state government. Earlier,the state government counsel informed the Court that the objections filed by Senior Superintendent of Police Anantnag in the case be taken on board as that of the state government as well. Police and Defence ministry had already submitted their objections to the petition filed by Zaituna,who has alleged that her son Abdullah Bhat,a resident of Macchil in Kupwara district,was killed in a fake encounter at Anantnag town in March 2001 and later branded as a Pakistani militant 'Mateen Chacha'. According to the objections filed by the defence ministry,Lt Gen Singh,who was then a brigadier commanding the 1 Sector Rashtriya Rifles in south Kashmir,was returning to Anantnag after visiting various army units. Later,when the army convoy stopped at Janglat Mandi in Anantnag,a militant disguised as a beggar opened indiscriminate fire upon the armymen. While Colonel J P Janu and Rifleman Ganesh Kumar were killed,Gen Singh and another officer were injured in the attack. The assailant and two civilians were also killed in the incident.
