Shopian fake encounter: BJP seeks compensation for families of three slain men

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Saturday urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to immediately provide compensation to the families of three men who were allegedly killed in a fake encounter in South Kashmir's Shopian district in July.

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP on Saturday urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to immediately provide compensation to the families of three men who were allegedly killed in a fake encounter in South Kashmir's Shopian district in July. The men, hailing from remote areas of Rajouri district, had gone to Shopian for work but they went missing on the day the Army claimed to have neutralized three "terrorists" in a gunfight. "The Army in its inquiry into the killings at Amshipora village, prima facie, found that the soldiers involved had exceeded their powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and that disciplinary action would be taken.

"Also recently, the DNA samples of the labourers have matched with those of their family members," BJP spokesperson Tahir Choudhary said in a statement here. He said the families of the deceased are facing difficult times and therefore, the government must intervene. "I urge the LG to give a hearing to their families and provide compensation to them at the earliest," the BJP leader said, thanking Sinha for his "efforts and for pushing authorities for a fair probe". Choudhary said he had also submitted a presentation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for providing compensation to the families of the victims.