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STRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE

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383| Structures of Violence<br />

1. Major Raghwan R. Singh, 5 Kumaon<br />

Regiment, Army, Camp Nagam<br />

2. An unnamed Junior Commissioned Ofcer<br />

[JCO], Army<br />

Case Information<br />

On 14 January 2000 at 10:00 pm Abdul Rashid Bhat<br />

was killed in a fake encounter. In the FIR Abdul Rashid<br />

Bhat was claimed to be an Afghan national and a<br />

member of the Laskar-e-Toiba with a code name<br />

“Jehangir”.<br />

On the day of the incident Abdul Rashid Bhat had<br />

gone out to purchase a cow. He was arrested by the<br />

personnel of the Radar Camp and then handed over<br />

to the Nagam Camp. His body was handed over to the<br />

police and buried. Subsequently, it was exhumed. The<br />

body was identied by the mother of the victim, Raja,<br />

and Ghulam Rasool Bhat.<br />

First Information Report [FIR] no.8/2000 u/s 302<br />

[Murder] Ranbir Penal Code, 1989 [RPC] was led at<br />

the Chadoora Police Station on 15 January 2000.<br />

Information on this FIR was sought through RTI on 7<br />

October 2011. Information was provided on 27<br />

December 2011. It was stated that on 15 January<br />

2000 Army 5 “Kumar” unit Nagam C/O APO 56 APO<br />

reported at Chadoora Police Station with a written<br />

application to the effect that one foreign militant had<br />

been killed in an encounter. FIR no. 8/2000 u/s 307<br />

[Attempt to murder] Ranbir Penal Code, 1989 [RPC]<br />

was registered and investigation taken up. The<br />

deceased was identied as Abdul Rashid Bhat, son of<br />

Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, resident of Hanjura,<br />

Budgam, who was an innocent person and Section<br />

302 [Murder] Ranbir Penal Code, 1989 [RPC] was<br />

added to the case. The case was closed as<br />

chaargesheeted and sanction for prosecution under<br />

AFSPA sought.<br />

Further information sought through RTI on 15 October<br />

2013. Further information sought through RTI dated<br />

14 November 2014.<br />

The Ministry of Defence, in its afdavit before the High<br />

Court of Jammu and Kashmir in 2009 on sanctions for<br />

prosecution under Armed Forces (Jammu and<br />

Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 [AFSPA], stated<br />

in relation to this case that it was received in October<br />

2008 and was under consideration.<br />

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir, in response<br />

to information sought through the Jammu and<br />

Kashmir Right to Information Act, 2009 [RTI] on<br />

sanctions for prosecution under AFSPA, stated on 6<br />

September 2011 in relation to this case that sanction<br />

was awaited.<br />

The Ministry of Defence, in response to a RTI on<br />

sanctions for prosecution, stated on 10 January 2012<br />

in relation to this case that sanction was declined on<br />

29 November 2011. Further, the Ministry of Defence<br />

communication claims that “post-mortem report of the<br />

dead body reected no injuries except a scratch on<br />

right wrist. The successive re-investigation of the case<br />

by police have recorded doctored statements of the<br />

witnesses much after the event to falsely implicate the<br />

ofce and Junior Commissioned Ofcer”.<br />

The family of the victim approached the SHRC and<br />

were granted relief.<br />

It is noteworthy that it took the Jammu and Kashmir<br />

Police and Government of Jammu and Kashmir eight<br />

years to investigate and process the case for<br />

acquiring sanction for prosecution under AFSPA,<br />

which apparently helped the perpetrators in evading<br />

justice.<br />

This case is another example of how the armed forces<br />

have carried out fake encounters and killed people<br />

unlawfully for rewards and other benets.<br />

Also noteworthy is the manner in which the Abdul<br />

Rashid Bhat after being killed in a fake encounter was<br />

claimed as a foreign militant and buried in an<br />

unmarked grave.<br />

The Ministry of Defence position on the post-mortem<br />

report is untenable as the army itself claimed in the<br />

FIR that the victim was killed in an encounter.<br />

This contradiction in of itself raises serious doubts on<br />

the position of the Ministry of Defence and the decline<br />

of sanction.<br />

The claim of the Ministry of Defence that the Jammu<br />

and Kashmir Police recorded doctored statements<br />

long after the events to falsely implicate the army is<br />

not substantiated. While making such sweeping<br />

statements the Ministry of Defence has not only<br />

provided impunity to the alleged perpetrators but<br />

also expressed their unwillingness and hostility<br />

towards any police investigation.<br />

Case No. 116<br />

Victim Details<br />

1. Mohammad Amin [Torture and Extra-Judicial<br />

Killing]<br />

Son of: Habib-Ullah Malik<br />

Resident of: Tendla, Doda District<br />

2. Jaffar Hussain [Torture and Extra-Judicial<br />

Killing]<br />

Son of: Ghulam Nabi Malik<br />

Resident of: Tendla, Doda District<br />

3. Abdul Majeed [Torture and Extra-Judicial<br />

Killing]<br />

Son of: Ahad Wani<br />

Resident of: Tendla, Doda District<br />

4. Noor Mohammad [Torture]<br />

Son of: Abdul Sattar<br />

Resident of: Tendla, Doda District<br />

5. Abdul Rashid [Torture]

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