Jammu and Kashmir police registers FIR for civilian deaths in Shopian

A security personnel interacts with a child during a restriction by government forces in Srinagar yesterday

Army personnel were mentioned in an FIR registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in connection with a firing incident in Shopian district that left two persons dead and nine injured, officials said. The personnel belong to the 10 Garhwal unit of the Army and include a Major rank officer have been mentioned in the FIR, they said. The case was registered under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), the officials said.

Two youth were killed and nine others injured allegedly in Army firing at Ganovpora in Shopian on Saturday when a stone-pelting mob targeted a convoy.

No rethink on AFSPA
The time has not come for any rethink on AFSPA or making some of its provisions milder, Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat has said, asserting that the Army has been taking adequate precautions in protecting human rights while operating in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir. Rawat's remarks assume significance as they come against the backdrop of reports that several rounds of high-level discussions have taken place between the defence and home ministries on the "need to remove or dilute at least some provisions" of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). "I do not think time has come to even rethink on AFSPA at the moment," Gen Rawat said in a recent interview.