In a major embarrassment for security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, the encounter in which a a top LeT militant from Pakistan was said to have been killed was allegedly fake and the victim was a civilian.
In a major embarrassment for security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, the encounter in which a a top LeT militant from Pakistan was said to have been killed was allegedly fake and the victim was a civilian.
A special police officer (SPO) and an army jawan who allegedly staged the killing of an unidentified mentally challenged civilian from Rajouri as part of a conspiracy to gain personal benefits were arrested and booked for murder, police said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the two men--SPO Noor Hussain and Territorial Army jawan Abdul Majeed-- are in police custody and charged with 302 (RPC).
"I assure that law will follow its own course," he said in Srinagar.
In Poonch, SSP Ashkoor Wani told reporters that SPO Noor Hussain and the jawan Abdul Majeed were arrested today for carrying out the fake encounter by murdering a civilian and calling him divisional commander of Lashker-e-Taiba Abu Usman.
"A case has been registered against the SPO and jawan of 156 Battalion of Territorial Army under section 302 Ranbir Panel Code for conspiring to murder a civilian and misleading security forces and police," he said.
Col A Arora, spokesperson, Nagrota-based 16 Corps, said, "Army has ordered an independent inquiry and prompt and stern action will be taken if any individual is found guilty".
According to the SSP, the duo conspired and managed the encounter for personal benefits.
SPO Hussain hatched the conspiracy with the aim of his appointment as constable in the police force as reward for killing a top militant. He took into confidence TA jawan Majeed who became his partner in the conspiracy to get monetary benefit from the Army, Wani said.
Army yesterday claimed to have killed a Pakistani militant and divisional commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Abu Usman, after a 12-hour long gunbattle at Surankote area of Poonch district in Jammu region, and claimed recovery of arms and ammunition from him.
However, during the probe it was found that the deceased was a civilian.
Wani said the two men picked up an unidentified mentally challenged civilian from Rajouri on August 5 and took him to Dobawali Doka forests in Surankote where they allegedly shot him dead the next day.
Later, they informed the security forces that a top militant of LeT was killed, he said, adding that a revolver and a diary, which the duo had themselves authored, was dropped by them at the spot of the encounter.
However, when locals raised doubts about the deceased being a 'militant' and claimed that he was a civilian, police launched an investigation and cracked the conspiracy hatched by the duo, the SSP said, ruling out the involvement of any other person in the encounter.
"Preliminary investigations suggest that a special police officer and local territorial army personnel informed the local army unit about the presence of a foreign militant," Omar Abdullah said.
"Acting on the information, army launched an operation and subsequently information came to light that the person shot dead during the operation was possibly not the person whose information was passed by the duo," he added.
The chief minister said both the personnel were arrested and interrogated during which they confessed to have passed the wrong information to army.
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