Victims: Aasha Begam, mother of Shezad Ahmad with picture of her son. Next her Jabeena, wife of Shezad and his five year old son Shahid. Shezad was killed in the Machil Fake Encounter. Photo: Javed Dar

Srinagar: A court has convicted seven Indian Army personnel including two officers for involvement in the 2010 Machil fake encounter case in Kashmir.

The military court has handed out life imprisonment to all the men and they have been suspended from service.

The court found the troopers guilty of killing civilians and hatching a conspiracy to cover-up the case.

In 2010, three youth were lured to Kupwara region with the promise of job and were killed in a staged encounter by troops near the Line of Control.

The Army had dubbed them as ‘Pakistani terrorists’ who had infiltrated into Kashmir.

Following the discovery that the slain men were civilians, a court of enquiry was ordered and court martial proceedings had begun in January 2014.

Seven soldiers, two civilians and one member of territorial Army had been found guilty in the proceedings.

A colonel rank officer and a captain have been found guilty in the fake encounter.

The order comes as a relief for the families of victims who had demanded action against the Army officers. The case had triggered massive protests against the Army in the valley.