Bodies of 3 Rajouri youngsters killed in Shopian encounter to be exhumed, handed over to families

Police say after DNA samples of the three matched with their families, it was decided to hand over their bodies after the completion of legal formalities

The bodies of the three youngsters killed in the Amshipora encounter in Shopian district on July 18 will be exhumed and handed over to their families in Rajouri.

The DNA samples of Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, who were gunned down on July 18 in Shopian, matched with their family members in Rajouri on September 25.

“Since their DNA samples have matched with the family, the bodies of the youngsters will be exhumed and handed over after due process of law,” inspector general of police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said on Wednesday.

While the army initially said the three were “terrorists”, it later admitted that its men exceeded the powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (Afspa) and contravened the dos and don’ts of the chief of army staff (COAS) as approved by the Supreme Court.

The three Rajouri families identified the youngsters from their pictures on social media and alleged the army had killed them in a “fake encounter” in Shopian where they had gone to work as labourers.

Director general of police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said on Tuesday that two civilians have been arrested in connection with the killings.

The two are residents of south Kashmir and have been remanded in custody for eight days. Police sources said they are believed to be informers of security forces.