J&K police to carry out DNA sampling of 3 men killed in Shopian encounter

nSRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir police have decided to carry out DNA sampling of three men killed in Shopian district during an alleged encounter in July, officials familiar with the matter said.

The army and police had described the men as militants, but three families from Rajouri that filed missing reports identified them as their relatives.

All mainstream political parties in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have demanded a high-level investigation of the encounter.

The police said DNA [Deoxyribonucleic acid] sampling of the three men will be carried out to establish their identities. A police spokesman said the department had given people sufficient time to identify the bodies kept at the police control room in Srinagar.

“The dead bodies could not be identified and they were buried in presence of Magistrate after conducting post-mortem and lifting DNA samples. Taking cognizance of the claim by the families and media reports, Shopian Police will examine the claim and carry out DNA sampling for matching purpose. Besides identification, police will also investigate all other aspects as per the law in due course of time,” a police spokesperson said on condition of anonymity.

The army has also taken note of claims by the families and social media users and started an investigation of the encounter, the spokesperson added.

THE ARMY AND POLICE HAD DESCRIBED THE MEN AS MILITANTS, BUT THREE FAMILIES FROM RAJOURI THAT FILED MISSING REPORTS IDENTIFIED THEM AS THEIR RELATIVES