Conflict
Shopian Civilian Murders: GoI challenges FIR against Major Aditiya in Supreme Court
New Delhi: The Government of India on Friday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the FIR registered against Major Aditiya, who is an accused in the Shopian civilian murder case in which three youth were murdered by the Army.
According to ANI, advocate Aishwarya Bhati, who filed the petition on behalf of Kumar’s father Lieutenant Colonel Karamveer Singh, said a plea challenging the FIR was submitted in the court by the Centre.
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The Supreme Court had already stayed the probe into the matter till the next hearing. The court ordered the halt after the Jammu and Kashmir government informed the SC that Major Aditiya was not named in the FIR.
While hearing the case last month, the court had also ordered that no coercive action should be initiated against Kumar. The Centre has supported the plea.
In his plea to the Supreme Court, Singh claimed that the firing was undertaken to control “a savage and violent mob engaged in terrorist activity” and that the FIR violated the fundamental rights of his son. The Army officer added that the petition was submitted “for protecting the morale of the soldiers of Indian Army, who are facing all odds in performance of their bonafide duties and laying their lives in the line of duty, to uphold the dignity of the Indian flag”.
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Last month three civilian were murdered by the Army after a crowd threw stones at them. They had come to remove ‘black banners’ which the people didn’t allow.
The army according to eyewitnesses retaliated with firing. Witnesses added that army fired upon youth directly resulting in the injuries of at least 11 persons.
The Army however said that they fired in ‘self defence’ after they were provoked to the ‘ultimate’ by a stone throwing crowd.
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The BJP, coalition partner of the ruling PDP had demanded that the FIR against the Army should withdrawn and a new one lodged without naming anyone. However, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the investigation would be taken to its ‘logical end.’
A BJP leader Subramanian Swamy threatened Mehbooba Mufti to withdraw the FIR against the army otherwise her government would be toppled.
“What’s this nonsense? Dismiss that government. Tell Mehbooba (Mufti) to withdraw the FIR else her government would be toppled,” Swamy told ANI.
