Srinagar: Three Kashmiri villagers were killed in an alleged fake encounter a month ago. The Army had labelled them as militants, claimed to have seized five AK rifles and over 200 rounds of ammunition from them.
But questions are being raised about the recovery shown by the Army in the alleged fake encounter.
The police are now investigating if an arms racket was being run to execute fake encounters. The rot seems to have set in long ago.
In 2001, the Army claimed to have killed five Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in Pathribal, seized five AK rifles and ammunition. Later, a CBI probe indicted five Army officers for a staged shootout.
In 2005, 27 villagers from Charar-e-Sharief were made to surrender in Nagrota, Jammu. A police probe indicted a Brigadier and a Colonel but didn't say where the arms came from.
Two years later, in Ganderbal, Police and Army killed five people, dubbed them as foreign militants and claimed recovery of arms and ammunition.
And just two weeks before the Machil encounter, the Army killed a 70-year old beggar in Handwara, claiming that he was a foreign militant who had an AK rifle and ammunition.
Despite probes into fake encounters, the source of arms and ammunition shown as recovery has seldom been established.
"Almost every encounter now has a question mark," said Omar Abdullah, Chief Minister, Jammu and Kashmir.
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visits the Valley on Monday, the Chief Minister plans to take up the issue.
While a probe is on in the Machil fake encounter, Army sources have told NDTV:- They are going to be totally transparent in this case
- It will maintain high standards of compliance with human right laws and regulation
- Will extend full cooperation