Day after life term to Army Captain, families of youths killed in Amshipora ’staged’ encounter say justice incomplete

Families express gratitude to LG Manoj Sinha for ensuring Army officer face punishment.

JAMMU, MARCH 7: A day after an Army court sent Captain Bhoopendra Singh to life imprisonment for killing three Rajouri youths in a “staged” encounter in Shopian district’s Amshipora area in July 2020, the families of the deceased expressed gratitude to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha for ensuring the accused faced punishment, adding that only 50 per cent justice had been delivered.

Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Ibrar — all from Rajouri’s Kandi area — were killed in Shopian on July 18, 2020, and labeled as “militants”. However, when family members of the deceased questioned the Army claims and doubts were raised on social media over the killings, the Army constituted a Court of Inquiry that found prima facie evidence that the troops had exceeded powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), reported The Indian Express on Tuesday.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police also had set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) that filed a chargesheet against three people, including the Army Captain.

“I am happy that a senior Army officer has finally gone behind the bars for killing three innocent children, including my son, and for that I am extremely thankful to L-G sahib for ensuring that the accused is brought to book,’’ said Mohammad Yousuf, father of AbrarAhmed, expressing gratitude to all those who supported them. “Though I wanted him to be hanged, but while undergoing life imprisonment, he will die every day,” he added.

He said the L-G had promised a government job to his deceased son’s wife Shaheen Akhtar, but after around three years, the promise is yet to be fulfilled.

“The administration paid us Rs 5 lakh (Rs 1.5 lakh each to deceased’s parents and his wife and Rs 2 lakh deposited in the name of his 5-year-old son Aneesh Ahmed),” he said.

The money, he said, has been spent in attending proceedings before Army and civil courts in Shopian and following our file for employment on compassionate grounds at the civil secretariat in Jammu, or the Deputy Commissioner’s officer in Rajouri.

Bagga Khan, father of Mohammad Ibrar, who too was killed along with his sister’s husband Abrar Ahmed and co-villager Imtiaz, also expressed satisfaction over the verdict, but said civilians Bilal Ahmed Lone and Tabish Nazir, also named as accused along with Captain Bhoopendra in a chargesheet filed by Police’s SIT, should also be given exemplary punishment.

“They killed three innocent youths just for cash reward of Rs 20 lakh,” Khan said.

Pointing out that several promises were made to them at that time, he said while Rs 5 lakh ex gratia was paid, his family was yet to get the promised government job. “The L-G had then said that his doors were open for us 24×7, but no one allowed us to reach there,” he said.

Abrar Ahmed had come home at Tirkasi village from Kuwait two months before his killing. He had gone to Shopian along with his brother-in-law Mohammad Ibrar and Imtiaz Ahmed to work as coolies in apple orchards. He is survived by his old parents, wife and a minor son.

Mohammad Ibrar was preparing to take admission in Class 12 at that time. Imtiyaz Ahmed was the only son among three children of Sabbar Hussain, whose eldest daughter Shaheen Akhar was married to Abrar Ahmed.

“I am thankful to the L-G. He has fulfilled one of his promises. I have full faith in the government that the pending promise of a job to a member in each family will also be fulfilled soon,” he said.