Shopian Row: LG reaches out to families of victims
Walks half-a-km to meet parents of slain trio, assures ‘full justice'
Rajouri, Oct 08: J&K's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday walked almost half-a kilometer to reach Tarkassi village in Rajouri district where he met family members of three youth killed in a stage -managed encounter on July 18 in Amshipora, Shopian and assured them that justice will be delivered at any cost.
Official sources that LG Sinha after addressing a public gathering in a Rajouri village walked almost half- a- kilometer to reach Tarkassi village to meet the families of Ibrar Ahmad, Abrar Ahmad and Imtiyaz Ahmad who were killed on July 18 by Army.
“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 listened to the families of the trio and assured them of all possible help,” officials said.
They said the family members of the youth demanded justice and compensation. “The LG assured all three families that justice will be delivered and there would be no laxity,” sources said.
The LG's reach-out assumes significance as it is for the first time he has visited families of civilians killed by forces.
On October 2, the bodies of three youth were exhumed from a graveyard in Baramulla district and later buried at Rajouri. The exhumation took place after DNA samples of slain trio matched with their parents. Last month, the Army had admitted that its men had exceeded powers under AFSPA. Police have already arrested two persons.
The three labourers from Rajouri were killed in a fake encounter in South Kashmir's Amshipora village in Shopian on July 18. The Army had dubbed them as unidentified militants.
