Army orders court martial against Colonel, Major in Machchil fake encounter

Ruling National Conference welcomed the move and expressed hope that the court martial proceedings would be completed in a time bound manner and guilty would be punished.

The police charge sheet had named Col Pathania, Maj Upinder and four others of the unit besides a Territorial Army jawan and two others for allegedly conspiring and kidnapping three youths on the pretext of giving them jobs and later killing them in the higher reaches of Kupwara claiming they were terrorists.

The charge sheet was filed in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Sopore.

The State police had arrested three persons Abbas Shah—the Territorial Army jawan, Basharat Lone and Abdul Hamid Bhat-for alleged involvement in the encounter.