Taking a serious view of the killing of a youth during an army operation in Bandipore in the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, Defence Minister A. K. Antony has ordered an inquiry. He has directed the Army to take strict action if anybody is found guilty in the case, Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said here on Thursday.
The Bandipore district magistrate has also ordered a magisterial probe into the killing of 19-year-old Hilal Ahmad Dar of Aloosa village, in a shoot-out between army personnel and suspected militants.
On Wednesday, local residents staged protests after the body was handed over to Dar’s family for burial. Protesters threw stones at security forces in Bandipore. Villagers and the victim’s family said the youth was innocent, and not a militant as alleged by the Army.
However, Srinagar-based 15 Corps General Officer Commanding Lt. Gen. Om Prakash said that during the operation, movements were observed at night. “One person was killed in the encounter and a weapon has also been recovered from his possession,” the senior Army officer was quoted by PTI as having said on the sidelines of a Srinagar function.
