Family members of three innocent Kash-miri youth killed in a staged encounter in south Kashmir’s Amshipora in July 2020 by Indian troops have expressed dissatisfaction over the suspension of the life sentence and the grant of bail to Indian Army Captain Bhoopendra Singh by an armed forces tribunal.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the families, from Rajouri district in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, plan to challenge the decision in a higher court, rejecting the tribunal’s ruling. The families vowed not to remain silent, dubbing it as “grave injustice”.
Suspending the sentence, the tribunal granted conditional bail to Singh and directed him to appear before its principal registrar at regular intervals from January next year.
The three men hailing from Rajouri district of Jammu region — Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrar — were martyred by Indian troops in the remote hilly village in Shopian district on July 18, 2020, and labelled as “militants”.
Refusing to accept the tribunal’s decision, the families said they would take the matter to a higher court, seeking justice for their sons and hoping to unmask the truth behind the fateful encounter.
“We are poor people and feel we were denied justice… We were expecting the death sentence for the captain for killing three innocents in cold blood… We will not stay silent and challenge the order of the tribunal,” Sabir Hussain, the father of Abrar Ahmed, told the media.
Bagha Khan, the father of Imtiyaz Ahmed, said the three victim families would fight for justice together. “We will move the higher court and appeal against the order of the tribunal. This is not acceptable to us as a compensation of Rs five lakh and a job with a salary of Rs 14,000 are not worth the lives of our children,” he added.
Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader, Muhammad Yusuf Naqash, in a statement in Srinagar expressed concern over the release of Captain Bhupinder Singh, a confirmed perpetrator of violence against innocent Kashmiris, on bail. He said releasing a proven assailant not only violates international laws but also signifies a blatant disregard for humanity. —KMS
