Question mark over this infiltration

June 29, morning: The Mendhar police station registered an FIR about troops having foiled an infiltration bid from across the Line of Control (LoC), killing three Harkat-ul-Jehad-i-Islami militants near the Phagwari Post in Mendhar sector.

Less than 12 hours later, it registered another FIR filed by villagers describing the ‘‘slain militants’’ as innocent civilians—a father, his son and his son-in-law—picked up by troops from a migrant camp the previous night. It booked the troops for abduction and murder under Sections 364 and 302 of the penal code. And the bodies were handed over to villagers.

Ironically, that very morning the Army had taken some TV representatives in a chopper from Jammu to Mendhar. And showed them these three bodies besides a huge quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives they claimed were seized from them alleging that they were infiltrators from across the LoC.

Although officials at the Army’s media centre in 16 Corps said they had no knowledge of the incident, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajouri-Poonch Range, S S Bijral, confirmed the two FIRs and told The Indian Express tonight that the police had registered a case of murder.

‘‘Obviously, one of the two FIRs is not true. We have started our investigation,’’ he said. Villagers from Basooni in Mendhar claimed that the three were innocent and had been picked by the Army the previous night. They were identified as Khadim Hussain, his son, Mohammad Riaz, and son-in-law Mohammad Rashid, all residents of Dehri Dopsi village.

Police sources said those killed had migrated from their native Dehri Dopsi village because of Pakistani shelling and were staying at a camp in Basooni.