Srinagar: The Indian Army is under fire for summoning dead persons in the probe into the Pathribal encounter that took place in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in March 2000. The families of the victims are shocked at the callousness. They demand that the trial court be shifted to Kashmir if the Indian Army wants them to attend the proceedings.
The furore started when the Army served a summons in the name of Amirullah, who died in 1994, six years before his son Juma Khan and four others were killed in the fake encounter in Pathribal. Shakoor Khan, Amirullah's grandson, said, "The summons that they sent us are in the name of my grandfather who died 20 years ago. We cannot go there." The family members have decided not to attend the court-martial proceedings if the venue at Nagrota near Jammu is not transferred to Kashmir. They have also demanded security and counsel of their own choice.
Roshan Jan, wife of slain Juma Khan, said that she could not understand any other language except Gojri and hence was unable to attend proceedings. She added that she was unwell and not in a state to talk. She too demanded that the venue of the trial be shifted to Kashmir. Abdul Rashid, Juma Khan's son, questioned the need for a probe. He said, "The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has already said they were killed in cold-blood and charge-sheeted. What is the need to do a probe again?
07:48 AM, Oct 08, 2012
