Key Eye Witness of A Fake Encounter in Kashmir Killed by the Army

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

NEW DELHI: A fresh probe would find out if Army’s Captain Sumit Kohli committed suicide or was murdered. Sumit’s mother Veena Kohli, who has raised questions on Army’s version that her son had committed suicide in 2006, met Defence Minister A K Antony on Saturday to demand an independent investigation.

Antony assured her that the case would be re-investigated.

Veena believes that her son was murdered as he knew about the men behind a fake encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Lolab in 2004.

She has pointed fingers at Colonel Rahul Pandey, Commanding Officer of Captain Kohli’s unit 16 Rahstriya Rifles.

Veena’s mother claimed that she did not have trust in Army’s investigation and wanted a probe by an independent agency. She has been fighting the battle for her son, who was found dead in Lolab in April 2006.

Just two months before his death, he had been awarded Shaurya Chakra, third highest peacetime gallantry medal.

His family refused to believe that the he could have committed suicide.

Veena was accompanied by her daughter Namrata and advocate Major (retd) Guneet Chaudhary when she met Antony to present her case.

As Sumit’s family approached the Defence Minister, Col Rahul Pandey also spoke to the media to deny the allegations. He claimed that the forensic reports were also examined by civil medical officer and they were found to be right.

Colonel Pandey also claimed that the fake encounter referred by Veena Kohli was also probed by the Army and it was concluded that it was a genuine operation.

“From 2004-06, he went on leave to Chandigarh where most of our senior officers work. What stopped him from exposing? There was no reason for any threat. He was the crown of our battalion and was an able and very professional officer,” Col Pandey has been reported as saying.

The family, based in Chandigarh, has suffered a great deal as Captain Kohli’s father died a day after his son’s cremation.