Neyaz Elahi
Srinagar (NVI): A day after reports surfaced that an Army Captain had staged a fake encounter in South Kashmir’s Shopian to grab Rs 20 lakh award money, the Army today made it clear that there is no system of cash awards for its personnel for any acts in “combat situations or otherwise in the line of duty”.
“There are media reports quoting that Amshipora encounter actions were driven by a Rs 20 Lakh award for killing of terrorists. It is clarified that Indian Army has no system of cash awards for its personnel for any acts in combat situations or otherwise in the line of duty. The report is malafide misleading and not based on facts of the processes internal to Indian Army,” Srinagar based Defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said.
The Army had on July 18 said that it killed three militants in Amshipora village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district. All the three slain later turned out to be labourers from Rajouri district who were identified as Abrar Ahmed (25), Imtiyaz Ahmed (20) and Mohammed Ibrar (16).
A section of press, quoting a police charge-sheet, have carried a report that Army Captain Bhupinder Singh, who is currently facing disciplinary proceedings for the alleged fake encounter in Amshipora, and is in Army custody, killed the three labourers from Rajouri and later passed them as militants to get a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh.
-ARK
