The Jammu & Kashmir police on Friday confirmed that the three labourers killed in an encounter in Amshipora area of Shopian on July 18, 2020 were related to the three families from Rajouri after they received confirmatory reports of their DNA matching.
The said operation had come under the scanner after three Rajouri-based families lodged a missing report on August 10 at police post Peeru in Kotranka tehsil claiming they were not in touch with their children, who had gone to Shopian to earn their livelihood, since July 17, 2020.
Subsequently, a team of police officers from Srinagar were deputed to Rajouri to collect DNA samples of parents of missing youth in Rajouri on August 13 in order to establish the identity of those killed in an encounter in Amshipora. Addressing a press conference in Srinagar Inspector General of police, Kashmir range Vijay Kumar said, “DNA sample results of the three families of Rajouri have matched those killed in Amshipora of Shopian. We will now take further course of action and complete the remaining formalities".
When asked whether those killed in the operation were involved in any terror related activities, IGP claimed, "now we have received DNA reports we will immediately start investigations in the case".Earlier, on September 18, an independent probe ordered by the Indian army had also established that the Shopian operation contravened the dos and don’ts of the Chief of Army Staff approved by the Supreme Court and exceeded the powers vested under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the Jammu and Kashmir police to probe the killing of an advocate and TV panelist Babar Qadri,killed late Thursday evening in cold blood inside his home in Hawal area of Srinagar. Advocate Babar Qadri was not a protected person but he had raised serious security concerns on his social media pages.
“A special investigation team has been constituted to probe the incident. It will be headed by Superintendent of Police, Hazratbal”, IG Kashmir told reporters during the press briefing.Sharing details of the incident, Inspector General of Police said, "at around 6:20 p.m on Thursday two masked men entered into his Hawal, Srinagar residence as clients with files in their hands. They told Qadri that they had to discuss some accident-related case. He said the dup occupied the chairs and when Qadri came downstairs they fired from a close range with pistols. Qadri sustained four bullet wounds in his head and died on the way to hospital”, he said.The 'unidentified' gunmen also fired a few bullets in the air, he said.
"We have seen the CCTV footage of a video camera installed in the area.
He said, "I have directed the SIT team to immediately identify the terrorists responsible for his killing so that they can be arrested or neutralised soon". IG also claimed, a close relative of Qadri had also told him to shift to a safer location but he refused to shift out from his residence. He said,if he had directly approached the police authorities he would have been shifted to a safer place.