Life imprisonment for army captain involved in Amshipura 'staged' encounter
sentence awaits confirmation
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New Delhi (PTI): Completing general court-martial proceedings in less than a year, an Army court has recommended life imprisonment for a captain in connection with the killing of three men in a "staged" encounter in Amshipura in south Kashmir in July 2020, officials said here on Sunday.
Captain Bhoopendra Singh was subjected to court martial after a Court of Inquiry and Summary of Evidence found that troops had "exceeded" powers vested under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), they said.
The life sentence is subject to confirmation by higher army authorities, the officials said.
Declining to comment, the army sources said the process involved in such matters is still on.
The three men hailing from Rajouri district of Jammu region - Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammed Ibrar - were killed in a remote hilly village in Shopian district on July 18, 2020 and labelled as "terrorists".
However, as doubts were raised on social media over the killings, the Army promptly constituted a Court of Inquiry which found prima facie evidence that the troops had "exceeded" powers vested under AFSPA.
The Court of Inquiry was followed by the Summary of Evidence, which was completed in the last week of December 2020.
The Army had issued a statement saying "the process of recording the Summary of Evidence has been completed.
"The same is being examined by the authorities concerned in consultation with legal advisors for proceeding further."
"The Indian Army is committed to the ethical conduct of operations," it had said.
The officials said the court martial proceedings were then initiated against Captain Singh for violating the powers vested under the AFSPA and for not following the dos and don'ts of the Army as approved by the Supreme Court.
The Army had also called Mohammed Yusuf, the father of Abrar Ahmed, from Rajouri for deposing in the court martial proceedings during which he was asked to provide a missing report about his son.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police had also constituted a Special Investigation Team which filed a charge sheet against three people, including Captain Singh, for "staging a fake encounter".
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had visited the families in Rajouri in 2020 and conveyed to them Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message that the government stood with the aggrieved families and they would be taken care of with all support from the government.
The identity of the three youths was subsequently confirmed through a DNA test. The bodies were handed over to their families in Baramulla in October 2020 and buried in their native village in Rajouri.
Yusuf told PTI from Rajouri that after the killing of his son, the family was in shambles.
"The compensation of Rs 5 lakh handed over by the government has been consumed in fighting the case.
"Now his child is also growing and the promise of the government to provide a job to one of the family members is still pending," Yusuf said.
The SIT charge sheet alleged that Captain Singh provided wrong information to his superiors and the police about the recovery made during the staged encounter.
The other two named by the police in its charge sheet are Tabish Nazir and Bilal Ahmed Lone, both civilians.
"By staging the encounter," the three accused "have purposefully destroyed evidence or real crime that they have committed and also have (been) purposefully projecting false information as part of a criminal conspiracy hatched between them with the motive to grab" cash rewards, it said.
The army had, however, denied that its captain staged the encounter for a cash reward, saying there was no such system for its personnel for any acts in combat situations or otherwise in the line of duty.
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Passing out parade held at IMA Dehradun, 491 young officers join Indian Army
Dehradun(PTI): After undergoing rigorous training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, 491 cadets participated in a grand Passing Out Parade on Saturday and will now be commissioned as officers in the Indian Army.
The spectacular parade, held at the historic Drill Square in front of the academy's Chatwood Building, was reviewed by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, who served as the reviewing officer.
Along with 491 Indian cadets, 34 foreign cadets from 14 friendly countries also participated in the Autumn Term 2025 Passing Out Parade.
A total of 525 officer cadets from the 157th Regular Course, 46th Technical Entry Scheme, 140th Technical Graduate Course, 55th Special Commissioned Officers Course, and Territorial Army Online Entrance Exam 2023 Course participated in the Passing Out Parade.
The 'Sword of Honour' and gold medal for securing first place during training was awarded to ACA Nishkal Dwivedi, the silver medal to BUO Badal Yadav for second place, and the bronze medal to SUO Kamaljeet Singh for third place.
The silver medal for securing first place in the 'Technical Graduate Course' was awarded to Officer Cadet Jadhav Sujit Sampat, and the silver medal for first place in the 'Technical Entry Scheme-46' was awarded to WCC Abhinav Mehrotra.
The silver medal for the 'Special Commission Officer Course' was given to Officer Cadet Sunil Kumar Chhetri.
Among the foreign cadets, the first place in merit was secured by JUO Mohammad Safin Ashraf from Bangladesh. The Army Chief's Banner for overall best performance in the Autumn Term was awarded to Imphal Company.
As the parade concluded, helicopters showered flowers on the newly commissioned officers from the sky.
On this occasion, General Dwivedi congratulated the new officers in his address for successfully completing their training. He praised the young officers for their high level of discipline, leadership qualities, and endurance, and urged them to uphold the glorious traditions of the Indian Army and serve the nation with loyalty, commitment, and honour.
General Dwivedi said that joining the army marks the beginning of a lifelong duty and selfless service.
The parents and guardians of the newly commissioned officers were also present during the passing out parade.
