Shopian Fake Encounter: J&K LG Manoj Sinha Walks 4 km on Foot to Meet Families of Victims, Assures ‘Justice at Any Cost’

On July 18, the Army had claimed three 'unidentified' militants were killed in an encounter in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir’s Shopian.

Shopian: In an outreach effort, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday met the families of three labourers who were killed in a fake encounter in Shopian district on July 18, assuring them that justice will be delivered at any cost.

Notably, Sinha walked on foot across mountainous terrain for about 4 km to reach the village.

Sinha first addressed a public gathering in a village in Rajouri and later walked to the Tarkassi village to meet the families, officials told Kashmir News Observer.

“Here, the LG visited the house of Muhammad Yousuf, the father of one of the slain trio. Other two families were also present at Yousuf’s house. The LG patiently to the families of the trio and assured them of all possible help,” officials said.

Sinha also assured them that a member from each of the three families would be given government jobs, besides cash assistance. However, the family repeatedly demanded the immediate arrest and conviction of those responsible for the incident.

Sinha asked the families to let the probe be completed first and hailed their patience, officials said.

On July 18, the Army had claimed three ‘unidentified’ militants were killed in an encounter in Amshipura village in the higher reaches of south Kashmir’s Shopian. However, an enquiry was initiated after social media reports indicated that the three men were from Rajouri and had gone missing in Amshipura.

The families of the three men claimed they worked as labourers in Shopian and lodged a police complaint. On September 21, a DNA test further confirmed the identities of the Rajouri labourers.

On October 3, the Jammu and Kashmir administration exhumed the bodies of the labourers and handed them over to their families.