Capt staged J&K encounter for Rs 20 lakh prize money: Police

Say the officer fired even before cordon was laid

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Chargesheet lists 75 witnesses

*Police have give evidence, including call data records, of the accused

*On July 18 last year in Shopian, 3 Rajouri youths were killed and branded as terrorists

Shopian, January 10

The Army Captain, involved in the alleged fake encounter in Shopian in July last year in which three youths were killed, had hatched a conspiracy along with two civilians to “grab” the reward money of Rs 20 lakh and also fired at the victims even before his men could lay a cordon, said a police chargesheet.

Capt Bhupinder Singh, currently in the custody of the Army, was likely to face court-martial proceedings, said sources.

The case relates to the encounter at Amshipora in Shopian on July 18 last year in which three youths of Rajouri district — Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrar — were killed and branded as terrorists.

The chargesheet submitted before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of the district also details the role of the two civilians — Tabish Nazir and Bilal Ahmed Lone — in the case.

Lone has since turned an approver and recorded his confessional statement before a magistrate.

After reports emerged on social media that the three youths were not associated with terrorism, the Army had ordered a Court of Inquiry, which completed its probe in September. It had found “prima facie” evidence that the troops had “exceeded” the powers granted under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Following this, the Army had initiated disciplinary proceedings.

The chargesheet submitted by the Special Investigation Team of J&K Police has listed 75 witnesses in support of its findings and has also provided technical evidence, including call data records, of the accused persons.

It also has the statements of four Army man — Subedar Garu Ram, Lance Naik Ravi Kumar, and Sepoys Ashwini Kumar and Yogesh — who were part of the Captain’s team at the time of the incident.

The chargesheet said all of them along with the two civilians had left the Army camp together as there were inputs about a possible contact with terrorists.

On reaching the spot, all four Army men were asked to cordon off from different directions. “As they were approaching the spot on foot after disembarking from the vehicle, they heard a few bursts of live ammunition even before they had laid the cordon,” said the chargesheet, quoting the statements of the four.

Later Captain Singh told them that he had to fire as the militants were trying to escape.

“By staging the encounter,” the chargesheet said, the Captain and two other civilians also “purposefully destroyed evidence of real crime that they have committed and also have been purposefully projecting false information as part of a criminal conspiracy hatched between them with the motive to grab the prize money of Rs 20 lakh.”

It said the accused Captain of 62 Rashtriya Rifles “furnished false information to mislead the senior officer and for getting” an FIR lodged to “tailor fit his motive for grabbing the prize money in furtherance of criminal conspiracy”. — PTI