Jammu: Family members of three men killed in a “staged” encounter in south Kashmir’s Amshipora in July 2020 have dubbed as “grave injustice” the suspension of the life sentence of the Army captain and the grant of bail to him in the case.
As the news of the armed forces tribunal granting the relief to Captain Bhoopendra Singh reached the village in Rajouri district the men were from, their grieving families vowed not to remain silent and decided to move a higher court.
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 killed in the remote hilly village in Shopian district on July 18, 2020, and labelled as “terrorists”.
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 reporters over the phone from Rajouri.
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.
As they prepare for the legal battle ahead, the families said they found solace in the support and solidarity garnered from their community and beyond. The village stands united, rallying behind them and demanding accountability for the lives lost and justice for the innocent souls taken too soon, the family members added. Mohammad Yousuf, the father of Ibrar, said, ‘It is an arduous path filled with challenges and obstacles, but my faith remains unshaken.’