Srinagar, Sep 30 (TIWN) The bodies of the three persons killed in an encounter in South Kashmir's Shopian district on July 18 will be exhumed and handed over to the families, Inspector General, Kashmir Vijay Kumar said on Wednesday.

The top police officer said that the bodies will be exhumed and handed over to families after the due process of law, reported news agency GNS.  The statement comes amid persistent demand from the poor families, seeking bodies of the trio— Abrar Ahmed (25), Imtiyaz Ahmed (20) and Mohammed Ibrar (16) —and immediate arrest along with stern punishment to those behind the killings.  The statement also comes more than a week after army said its high-level Court of Inquiry brought out “certain prima facie evidence indicating that the powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded during the operation.”  Defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said that inquiry has found that the “Do’s and Don’ts of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) as approved by the Supreme Court have been contravened”.