The J&K Police has ordered DNA test of the three alleged terrorists killed in an encounter in Shopian on 18 July after the family of three missing labourers of Rajouri alleged that the trio were killed in “fake encounter” by security forces.

A police spokesman said on Tuesday evening that Taking cognisance of the claim by the families and media reports, Shopian Police will examine the claimants 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.

The Army has already initiated an enquiry into the killing of the three alleged terrorists.

Army’s spokesman, Colonel Rajesh Kalia said; “We have noted social media inputs linked to the operation at Shopian on 18 Jul 2020. The three Terrorists killed during the operation have not been identified and the bodies were buried based on established protocols. Army is investigating the matter”.

Police said that District Police Rajouri have been approached by some families yesterday claiming that their kins had gone to Shopian for labour work and contacted on phone on 17th July. As per families when they couldn’t be contacted after 17 July they lodged missing report at PP Peeru on 10/8/2020.

“Police had provided sufficient time for identification of dead bodies at PCR Kashmir Srinagar. However, the dead bodies could not be identified and they were buried in presence of Magistrate after conducting post-mortem and lifting DNA samples”, said the spokesman.

A controversy on the issue erupted on Monday when certain Kashmir based political parties described it a “fake encounter” and sought action against the concerned security forces.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on termed the reports of three missing labourers killed in a staged encounter at Shopian as shocking and extremely excruciating episode and has said that such “repressive measures” have pushed Jammu and Kashmir in a precipice of a disaster.

PDP spokesman in a statement said that the reported killing of three missing labourers from Rajouri in a “staged encounter” at south Kashmir’s Shopian has raised questions on all such encounters in recent months especially in view of the new decision not to identify bodies, or hand them over to families and bury them reportedly in remote, inaccessible, unidentified places.

It is high time that impartial and high-level probes into recent encounters must be ordered, said the PDP spokesman.

CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has demanded timebound enquiry into the matter.

“There are unverified reports that the missing labourers have been killed in a fake encounter in Shopian on July 18. This is shocking and must be probed by a sitting High Court judge in a time-bound manner”, Tarigami said.

The National Conference said the party will file a habeas corpus petition in the court.

The Congress has also criticised the government for killing of “innocent” labourers.