The men – workers Abrar Ahmad Khan, Imtiyaz Ahmad and Abrar Ahmad Yousuf, who had left their homes to look for work – were killed in an armed operation in July. Local police recovered live pistols and cartridges from the scene, and a special investigation unit said the military initially described the victims as “militants.”
In a statement on Sunday, police accused Captain Bhoopendra Singh and another of kidnapping and killing the men, saying they had organized the killings as a fake military meeting and that “they planted illegally purchased weapons and materials on the bodies.” after stripping them of their identity. and labeled them powerful terrorists. ”
Police added that Singh chose “deliberately and intentionally” not to follow standard operational procedures in Kashmir.
The Indian army has not indicated whether the captain will be tried under civilian jurisdiction or in a military tribunal. Under an emergency law passed in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, Indian army soldiers cannot be tried in civil courts under ordinary jurisdiction without the permission of the federal government.
Criminal prosecution of army officers for alleged crimes and abuses is rare, however, and similar claims about organized incidents have been made in the past, making the investigation and allegations all the more unusual.