After Army, J-K Police says it will look into Rajouri families’ claims on Shopain encounter

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, August 11

Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Tuesday that it would look into claims of three families from Rajouri about an encounter Shopian “encounter” last month after some families lodged a written complaint saying that three of their members involved in labour work were missing from the same area.

The development comes on a day when the Congress party’s Jammu and Kashmir unit demanded an independent probe into the alleged encounter killing. The Indian army has already announced it was going to inquire into the alleged encounter carried out by its troops after the complaints were received from the families residing in Jammu region’s Rajouri.

On July 18, the army had claimed three militants were killed in the higher reaches of Shopian in South Kashmir. However, no further details were shared.

“The circumstances demand immediate statement of facts by the authorities regarding the mystery of their death and an independent probe into the circumstances in view of the controversy so that rule of law prevails,” Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Chief Spokesperson Ravider Sharma said.

He said the government must come out with a detailed statement about the death of three young boys, whose family members claim that they had no connection with any unlawful activity and had gone for work to Shopian.

The controversy started after the families filed a complaint with a police station in Rajouri stating that their three members were missing since July 17 from Ashimpora area of Shopian where they were working as labourers in apple and walnut orchards.

The families, who filed the police complaint jointly, gave pictures of their kin—Mohammed Ibrar (21), Ibrar Ahmad (18) and Imtiaz Ahmad (26)—which were subsequently shared with the Kashmir police for investigation.

The relatives of the youths, belonging to Dhar Sakri village in Kotranka of Rajouri area in Poonch, lodged the missing report with the local police after they failed to contact the trio and news of an encounter came on July 18 from Ashimpora in Shopian. With PTI