Shopian Fake Encounter, Families Demand Death Penalty For Involved Troops

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Sep, 2020 ) :The families of three innocent Kashmiri labourers, who were killed by Indian Army in a fake encounter in Shopian in July, this year, have demanded capital punishment for the killer soldiers, in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Accordig to Kashmir Media Service Indian Army had killed three youth during a cordon and search operation in Amshipora area of Shopian on July 18 and passed them on as "unidentified militants". However, the victims were later identified by their families as Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Muhammad Ibrar from Rajouri, who had gone to the Kashmir Valley in search of work. The families had identified the victims days later through the pictures released by the Indian Army. The army on Friday admitted that the youth belonged to Rajouri.

Muhammad Saleem, cousin brother of the slain youth, said, "We are crying innocence of all three as they went to Shopian only to get labour related work.

They were murdered in the name of encounter." He said, "The DNA sampling report should be confirmed at the earliest so that we can get bodies of our brothers." Sabir Hussain, father of one of the three youth namely Imtiyaz, said that the army should now announce capital punishment for those involved in this heinous crime of fake encounter and murder of young boys.

"I want justice for my son and two nephews of mine and the accused should be given capital punishment, army sources who are actual culprits of this episode should also be taken to task," he said.

"We are quite hopeful that both army and police shall complete fair probe into the matter," said Lal Hussain, who is uncle of all three youth killed in the fake encounter.

"We have three demands: return bodies so that we can perform last rites in their ancestral graveyard, capital punishment for those involved in this fake encounter and rebuttal of remarks that our boys were militants," said Lal Hussain.