Five Army officers, including a colonel and two majors, four soldiers and two civilian collaborators have been chargesheeted by the J&K police in the alleged April 30 staged gunfight killing of three local youth in Machael sector, along the LoC.
The accused are Col. D.K. Pathania (4 Rajput), Maj. Maurya, Maj. Upinder, subedar Satbir, hawaldar Bir Singh, sepoys Chandra Bhan, Nagendra Singh and Narendra Singh and Abbas Hussain Shah of the Territorial Army, and civilians Basharat Lone and Abdul Hamid Bhat.
The killings of the youth had sparked widespread protests across the Valley.
The police charged them with murder under Sec. 302 of the RPC, and kidnapping, concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment and act done with common intent under the relevant RPC sections corresponding with the relevant CrPC sections.
In its chargesheet, the police said the accused Army personnel have not been handed over to the police by military authorities during investigation.
The judge observed that in these circumstances, the provisions of Sec. 69 of the Army Act have no application.
“The trial of the case in relation to the said accused persons too is necessary to be conducted by a civil court,” the judge’s order said.
The court directed the Machael brigade commander and current 4 Rajput commander, and in a separate order the Baramulla DIG, to ensure the presence of the accused in court on July 29.