Army has no system of cash rewards for killing militants: Defense spokesman

SRINAGAR — A day after reports that Army Captain staged fake encounter in south Kashmir’s Shopian district to grab Rs 20 lakh award money, Army on Monday evening said that there is no system of cash awards for its personnel for any acts in “combat situations or otherwise in the line of duty.”

“There are media reports quoting that Amshipora encounter actions were driven by a Rs 20 lakh award for killing of terrorists. It is clarified that Indian Army has no system of cash awards for its personnel for any acts in combat situations or otherwise in the line of duty. The report is malafide, misleading and not based on facts of the processes internal to Indian Army,” Srinagar-based Defense spokesperson said.

Army had on July 18 claimed that it killed three militants in Amshipora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian district. All these three slain later turned out to be labourers from Rajouri district who were identified as Abrar Ahmed (25), Imtiyaz Ahmed (20) and Mohammed Ibrar (16).

Pertinently, a section of press quoting police charge-sheet have carried the report that Army Captain Bhupinder Singh, who is currently in Army custody, killed three labourers from Rajouri and later passed them as militants to get a cash reward of Rs 20 lakhs.