CBI registers case in Poonch encounter

Acting on the directives of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, CBI has registered an FIR against police personnel and army officials in the Poonch fake encounter case in which 19 persons, including women and children were killed 15 years ago.

CBI sources said the agency has booked army officials and police personnel who were posted there when the incident took place in August 1998. On November 22, 2012 Justice M H Attar of J&K High Court had ordered CBI inquiry into the extra-judicial killing in Surankote area of Poonch on a plea by families of the victims seeking a re-investigation.

The agency sources said they have written to the police seeking documents and records related to the alleged fake encounter. On the intervening night of August 3 and 4, 1998, 19 persons -- six males and 13 females -- were killed at the house of Hassan Mohammad Sheikh at Sailan village in Surankote.The police, in its FIR, had blamed foreign militants for carrying out the killings but an inquiry conducted by the State Human Rights Commission in October 1998 ruled out the involvement of militants.

The SHRC also recommended an inquiry into the case. The families of the victims had filed a petition for re-investigation in the case before the High Court in 2011. CBI had recently claimed that the matter was related to terrorism and should be probed by National Investigation Agency, the sources said.

After the claims of CBI, the petitioners filed a contempt petition after which the agency swung into action and registered the case last week. CBI sources said, according to the complaint, a local militant had killed a special police officer on August 3, 1998 following which army personnel, police officials and a group of SPOs retaliated. The sources said it was alleged that family of the militant, fearing such a retaliation, had already taken refuge at the house of one Shabir, who is the lone survivor and co-petitioner in the case.

According to the complaint, a team of police personnel and army officials searched the area and dragged all those to nearby house, where 19 persons were allegedly killed in cold blood.