Army begins probe in encounter killing of 3 'militants' in JK's Shopian

Srinagar: The army has begun its probe and recorded statements in connection with last month’s encounter in the Shopian area of South Kashmir after families in Rajouri area of Jammu region filed a complaint with the Jammu and Kashmir police about its members missing from the same region.

Srinagar-based Defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia issued a statement saying a high-level Court of Inquiry into Operation Amshipora in Shopian is under progress. “Statements of key witnesses are being recorded and progress is being monitored closely.

Additional civil witnesses are being asked to depose before the Court of Inquiry,” he said.

The spokesperson said the DNA samples have been collected from Rajouri by the Jammu and Kashmir police and sent for matching with those of the terrorists killed on July 18.

Col Kalia said that the army is committed to the ethical conduct of all Counter-Terrorist operations.

“Cases, where doubts are raised, are investigated under due process as per the law of the land. Since the case is under investigation, further details will be shared periodically, as appropriate without affecting the due legal process,” he said.

The relatives of three youths, belonging to Dhar Sakri village in Kotranka of Rajouri area in Poonch, had lodged written missing person report in the local police station after they lost contact with their kin on July 17.

In their complaint, they informed the police that they had last spoken to the three, who were mainly involved in apple and walnut trading, on July 16 when the youths had informed their families that they had got a room at Ashimpora in Shopian.

The same place was the site of the encounter the next day and since then there was no report about the three, the families said in their complaint.