Fizala Khan
In a brief statement released by the Indian Army regarding the Amshipura, Shopian encounter on 18th of July, contravened the do’s and don’ts of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) approved by the Supreme Court. The inquiry has brought out certain ‘prima facie’ evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Power Act) act of 1990 were exceeded.
“Consequently, the competent authority has directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against those found prima-facie answerable,” the statement concluded.
Abrar Ahmed (25), Imtiaz Ahmed (21), Abrar Ahmed (17) left their residence from Dhar Sakri village in Kotranka of Rajouri district – Poonch, in search of livelihood and wage to support their families during the lock down in this pandemic. They left on the 17th of July and were killed on the 18th after which, they were buried without any identification in Baramulla. The bodies of the killed were identified by the families on the 12th of August.
Wife of the killed labourer Abrar Ahmed (25), Shareen Ahmed spoke to The Kashmiriyat and said, “We want justice. They killed my husband even though he was innocent and now I can only ask for his body in return. They still have not returned the results of the DNA sample. My 15 month – old son asks for his father. He looks in every room of our house and calls for him in the night. What do I tell him? How should I console a wailing child?”.
The Shopian encounter came under a cloud after three families from Rajouri district of Pir Panjal range claimed that the three killed were their kin and were laborers by profession. The results of the DNA samples that were taken 4 weeks ago were delayed every week according to the family members of the killed labourers. Nearly after 6 weeks of the encounter, Indian Army today released a statement on the misconduct of power that exceeded the operation.
Sister of Abrar Ahmed, Shameem Kauser spoke to The Kashmiriyat and said, “We are tired. I have lost all hopes when I look at the tears of my sister -in- law and my mother. Our father asks us to be strong and fight for justice, but how long can we wait?”.
She also said, “More than 40 boys leave our Dhar Sakri village to travel to other parts in Kashmir in search of work as laborers for daily wage and some even return back home with lost hopes and nothing to feed their family with. My brother was promised 1000 rupees a day in return of his labour. And now we have lost him. My brother had no connections that could have gotten him and our family in trouble. He was innocent.”
“All we need is the body of my brother, an inquiry and we only wait for the murderers of my brother to be prosecuted and the reason why they were killed if they were innocent. Monetary compensation for his death will not bring my brother back and that is not what we need,” she said.
The father of Abrar Ahmed, Mohammed Yousuf was called by the LG Adivisor and is currently in Srinagar for further investigation and proceedings of the case.
According to previous cases that were ruled under ‘misconduct’ of power, the jurisdiction of military courts were restrained to those of strictly military nature, apart from removing all requirements of sanction for prosecuting army personnel, reason being their excesses actions of forced power on innocent civilians to bring justice to their families.
The family further demanded that the investigation proceedings must be made public and compensation mechanism is not what they want.
They await results of the DNA samples so that they can bury their kin along with a full – fledged inquiry that brings justice and restores the lost honour of their family and the killed.