A prominent human rights group in Kashmir has described the General Court Martial decision against five Armymen including two officers involved in Machil fake encounter case as “political decision” overruling larger principles of justice and accountability.
The Army Court Martial awarded life imprisonment to five soldiers including a Colonel and a Major and suspended their service benefits after establishing that they were involved in staging an encounter on the line of Control in north Kashmir in April 2010. Three locals were killed in the fake encounter and passed off as Pakistani infiltrators to win laurels and promotions.
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah described the decision as “watershed” and all mainstream political leaders followed suit in welcoming the verdict.
Coalition of Civil Society, a grouping of rights groups in Kashmir, however, denied that the verdict was a beginning or a watershed moment for Jammu & Kashmir.