Army Captain gets relief from tribunal in ‘staged’ Shopian encounter case
The armed forces tribunal has suspended the life sentence of an Army captain who was found guilty of killing three men in a “staged” encounter in south Kashmir’s Shopian district in July 2020.
The armed forces tribunal has suspended the life sentence of an Army captain who was found guilty of killing three men in a “staged” encounter in south Kashmir’s Shopian district in July 2020.
The tribunal also granted conditional bail to Captain Bhoopendra Singh and directed him to appear before its principal registrar on the first Monday of every month, starting from January.
Captain Singh’s counsel Maj (Retd) Sudhanshu S Pandey said: “Such conviction of a young officer in this manner would have a very demoralising effect on other officers who are sacrificing their lives for the nation.”
In a 25-page order on November 9, the two-member tribunal headed by chairperson justice Rajendra Menon said, “...in our considered view, the evidence relied upon by the prosecution and accepted by the SGCM in the present case is not convincing enough to hold the applicant guilty of the charges levelled against him... prima facie, evidence available on record suggests that bail can be granted to the applicant by suspending the sentence.”
On July 18, 2020, the three men of Rajouri district – Mohammad Abrar, Mohammad Imtiyaz and Mohammad Ibrar – were killed in a “staged” encounter at Amshipora village and branded as “terrorists” by Captain Singh. However, after the Army initiated a probe, it said it has found “prima facie” evidence that its troops “exceeded” powers under Afspa and initiated disciplinary proceedings. The government later exhumed the bodies and handed them over to families.
“I am unable to understand how a person who has killed three innocent youngsters has been granted bail. This shows how powerful people are managing cases,” Mohammad Yusuf, father of Mohammad Ibrar, said.
