Three young cousins, who were missing from Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, are believed to have been gunned down by the Army in an encounter last month.
The missing persons have been identified as Ibrar Ahmad, 17, a Class 12 student at Government Higher Secondary School, Peeri; his brother-in-law, Ibrar Ahmad, 25; and another cousin, Imtiyaz Ahmad, 19, who had passed Class 12 and was planning to get admission in a local government college.
The three were first cousins and lived in Peeri Kotranka in Rajouri.
What the Army Claims
The Army’s 62 RR Unit, which carried out the encounter, claims that the three were “terrorists” and “incriminating material including arms and ammunition” were recovered from their possession.
But, Were They?
Speaking to The Quint, local sources in Rajouri said the trio belonged to poor families and had gone to Shopian on 15 July in search of work.
Sources said:
“Some of them have a few sheep and goats but they live in dhokas (mud and wood houses typically built by the social and economically backward Gujjars and Bakerwals who live in upper reaches of Kashmir and Jammu regions).”
According to sources, the three boys were reported to have last contacted their families on 17 July, telling their families they had reached Shopian and that they were looking for a room.
An Anguished Family
“We were thinking that the administration kept them in quarantine which is why we didn’t react for so long. Then days turned into weeks and our concerns increased,” Salim, a cousin of Ibrar, told The Quint over the phone.
Worried about their long disappearance, the families kept dialling their phone numbers while also using local contacts in Shopian to locate them. But they didn’t meet any success.
“Yesterday, a person in Srinagar showed me some photographs. I could identity two of them. The head of third had burst open. He was unrecognisable,” Salim said, through anguish-filled cries.
The families then filed a missing complaint at Peeri police station on 9 August.
“They had gone for work. We belong to poor families. They had gone to earn some money for continuing their studies and helping their families. We had never thought they would be killed in cold blood,” Salim said.
The Encounter
According to officials, the encounter, in which the three boys were reported to have been killed, took place on 18 July when, according to an official Army release, a search operation was launched in the Amshipora area of Shopian district.
“During search operation, terrorists fired upon army personnel and encounter started. Later on police and CRPF also joined,” the press release said.
The encounter was carried out by 62 Rashtriya Rifles based in Shopian’s Chowgam. The J&K Police didn’t issue any official release about the encounter, which otherwise is a common practice.
“During the encounter, three unidentified terrorists were killed. Dead bodies of all the killed three (sic) terrorists were retrieved from the site of encounter. The identification and affiliation of the killed terrorists is being ascertained,” the Army release said, adding:
“The bodies of the killed terrorists have been sent to Baramulla for their last rites after conducting medico-legal formalities including collection of their DNA. Case FRI No 42/2020 under relevant sections of law has been registered at Police Station Hirpora and investigation has been initiated into the matter.”
When asked about the encounter, another relative of the deceased said:
“They were carrying phones. The call records will prove that they are innocent. The Army wants to save itself after murdering three budding flowers.”
“Since there is lockdown, all of us can’t reach the police station. We will try to come tomorrow after which police has said they will investigate the case,” Salim said.
‘Investigating Family’s Claims’
SSP Shopian Amrit Paul Singh said: “We are investigating the family’s claims.”
Rajesh Kalia, the defence spokesperson in Srinagar, also said that they “have noted social media inputs linked to operation Shopian on 18 July,” adding:
“Three terrorists killed during operation have not been identified and bodies were buried based on established protocols. Army is investigating.”
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