May 04, 2024 14:03 (IST)
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Machil fake encounter case: Army court confirms life sentences of 6 personnel
Srinagar, Sept 7 (IBNS): The Indian Army confirmed the life sentences of six army personnel including two army officers in the 2010 Machil fake encounter on Monday, army official said.
Army’s Northern Command spokesperson said six army soldiers including two officers namely Col Dinesh Pathania, Captain Opendra, Havaldar Devender Kumar, Lance Naik Lakhmi, Lance naik Arun Kumar and rifleman Abas Hussain have been awarded life imprisonment.
The Army Court had last year awarded life sentences to them for their involvement in the killing of three innocents from Nadihal in a fake encounter in Machil five years ago.
This is the first case in the Valley in which Indian Army personnel have been awarded life terms on these charges.
On April 30, 2010, the Army said it had killed three infiltrators in the Machil sector, who they claimed were Pakistani terrorists.
The three men who were killed were later identified as Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Riyaz Ahmad Lone and Muhammad Shafi Lone.
They were all residents of Nadihal in Baramulla district. The victims' families alleged that the Army lured them to a border area on the pretext of giving them jobs.
They alleged that the men were later killed and were claimed as terrorists.
In July 2010, the Jammu and Kashmir police filed a chargesheet against Col Pathania, Major Upinder and seven others in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Sopore.
The court martial order came after an exhaustive enquiry was conducted with the assistance of state police and judicial department to summon witnesses, record evidence and establish culpability of the accused personnel.
Besides the officials, others convicted were Subedar Satbir Singh, Havildar Bir Singh, Sepoy Chadraban, Sepoy Nagendra Singh and Sepoy Narinder Singh.
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
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