JAMMU: Indian forces’ personnel, in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two youth in a fake encounter in Udhampur district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth were killed during a cordon-and-search operation in a staged encounter in the Majalta area of the district.
The identities of the victims were not immediately known. Further details are awaited.
Indian forces had launched a major cordon and search operation in the Khuband, Sohan, Majalta and Basantgarh areas of Udhampur district on Tuesday. Indian officials described the two deceased as militants killed during an encounter.
Such killings during cordon and search operations have frequently been questioned by rights groups and other observers, with reports in some cases of fake encounters and extrajudicial killings by Indian forces.
Given the highly militarized environment in IIOJK, rights groups have called for independent investigations into such incidents.
The involvement of impartial international observers, including UN bodies, could help establish the facts and ensure credible verification of such killings in IIOJK, one of the world’s most heavily militarized regions, where Indian forces enjoy impunity under black laws, including the the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
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