In one of the swiftest enquiries held by the forces in recent times, the Army on Thursday indicted nine soldiers, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), in a recent killing of two car-borne youngsters in a shootout at Chattergam Village of Budgam district on the outskirts of Srinagar. This came just two weeks after the Army’s court martial awarded life imprisonment to five soldiers for their involvement in the Macchil fake encounter case.
Faisal Yusuf and Merajuddin Dar were killed and their two associates were wounded on November 3 when a column of 53-Rashtriya Rifles soldiers opened fire on their Maruti car. The Army had said that the car-borne youngsters jumped a three-tier mobile check-point prompting the soldiers to open fire. The Army had explained that it was a case of mistaken identity as the soldiers had a tip-off about the presence of militants in the area in a similar car.
However, after massive public outrage, the Army ordered a Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident while the J&K Police filed a case against the soldiers. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Northern Command) lt Gen DS Hooda termed the killings as “unfortunate” and unequivocally claimed responsibility. He announced compensation for the slain youths’ kin and for the wounded and promised that the enquiry would be completed within ten days.
Sources said that acting swiftly on the Army Commander’s direction, the CoI indicted nine soldiers, including a JCO. “The CoI has found gross violation of rules of engagement by the soldiers”, sources said, adding that the officer in-charge of the Army column has been found guilty of not leading the column professionally.
A day after the incident, the Army had withdrawn the soldiers from the area.They have now been detached from the parent unit and taken off the active duty.Six other soldiers, who were under scanner, have been exonerated. Around 70 witnesses, including some soldiers, have recorded their statements before the enquiry officer. The indicted soldiers will be tried in General Court Martial, sources said.
The Army’s decision to try the soldiers involved in Chattergam killings came two weeks after the court martial headed by a Brigadier awarded life imprisonment to five soldiers, including a Commanding Officer for their involvement in the killing of three Kashmiri youngsters in a staged encounter in Macchil sector of north Kashmir in April 2010. The implementation of both Chattergam and Macchil verdicts are subject to the approval of the Army Commander.
Meanwhile, the family members of the slain youth termed the Army’s announcement as “hoax to hoodwink the people”. They demanded the guilty soldiers must be tried in civil court. “We don’t believe in their (Army) enquiry and who knows whether they have really indicted anyone or not. A murder case already stands registered in Chadoora police station and if the Army brass is sincere, they should drag the killer soldiers to civil court,” Muhammad Yousuf Bhat, the father of one of the slain youths, said.