Army fired in Shopian for self-defence: Hansraj Ahir

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir on Wednesday said Army opened fire in Shopian district in January for self-defense.

Replying a question in the Rajya Sabha on First Information Report (FIR) against Indian Army personnel in Jammu and Kashmir, Ahir said, "On January 27, an Army convoy came under heavy stone pelting at village Ganovpora village in Shopian district. Army personnel exercised restraint and gave repeated warnings to mob before opening fire in self-defence."

He informed the Upper House that three persons lost their lives and one person got injured in the incident.

The MoS said that an FIR stands registered in concerned police station.

The Minister's statement has come when the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered to stay the probe into the Shopian firing case till April 24 after the central government underlined that the state police could not have registered a case against Major Aditya Kumar and other personnel without the centre's permission since the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, or AFSPA was in force in the state.