NEW DELHI: THE father of Major Aditya Kumar on Thursday approached the Supreme Court demanding that an FIR registered against his son by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for the death of three civilians in Army firing be quashed. Major Kumar, who is with 10 Garhwal Rifles, was named in the FIR against his unit after firing on protesters by soldiers in Shopian on January 27 left three people dead.
In his plea, Lieutenant Colonel Karamveer Singh said, “My son was just doing his duty and was wrongly and arbitrarily named, and his intention was to save Army personnel and property.”
Police have accused the Army unit of murder, attempt to murder and endangering life. “The soldiers opened fire only to impair and provide a safe escape from a savage and violent mob engaged in terrorist activity,” the plea said, adding that the FIR was arbitrary as the incident was related to an Army convoy on military duty in an area under the AFSPA.
The petition also states that the soldiers fired on protesters in Ganawpora village in self-defence to prevent the lynching of an officer, snatching of weapons by villagers and burning of their vehicles.
“The manner in which the lodging of the FIR was portrayed and projected by the political leadership and the administration reflected the hostile atmosphere in the state,” Singh said in the plea, adding that he had approached the court to protect the fundamental rights of his son and himself.
“It is perfectly justifiable therefore, for the Army as a whole as well as the families of each and every serving soldier to feel that they are being treated as dispensable pawns in the game played by the various political entities operating in the State of Jammu and Kashmir who, in turn, are influencing the police agencies to issue such arbitrary First Information Reports against serving personnel of the armed forces of India operating in the State of Jammu and Kashmir,” the petition says.
The petition sought guidelines to protect the rights of soldiers and adequate compensation so that no personnel were harassed with criminal proceedings for doing their duty.