Indian army men face court martial for 'fake encounter' in Kashmir

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SRINAGAR: The Indian Army on Wednesday decided to indict six army personnel including two officers for killing three labourers in a ‘fake encounter with militants’ three years ago in Indian-administered Kashmir.

According to Indian media reports, the decision of launching the case in a military court against six Indian officials, including a colonel, has been taken upon completion of a military-level probe of the fake clash in Kashmir.

Three labourers were killed in Machil Village of northern Kashmir’s Kapwara district in April, 2010. A case was registered by the local police against nine Indian army personnel and two local residents, who claimed that three ‘Pakistani terrorists’ were killed in the encounter.

Colonel DK Pathania, Major Upinder and four other personnel would face court martial for the encounter that took place along the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, reports quoting Indian army spokesman said.

The incident at the time triggered riots across the Indian-administered-Kashmir leading to the deaths of 123 people. Hundreds were reportedly wounded in the riots while thousands of Kashmiri youth were detained as well.

Brigadier Sanga, a senior army officer, led a separate military-level investigation into the incident.

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which both countries claim.

Rebel groups have been fighting Indian forces in Indian Kashmir since 1989 for the region's independence or incorporation within Pakistan, in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Rights groups claim that at least 10,000 people have gone missing in the 24-year-old unrest. More than 6,000 unnamed graves have also been discovered in Kashmir, which according to rights groups used by Indian troops to dump dead bodies of Kashmiris killed in fake encounters.

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