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Killing of Jalil Andrabi

ONGOING1996Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India (site of 1996 detention and body recovery)3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

Jalil Andrabi was a Kashmiri human rights lawyer and pro-independence political activist affiliated with the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). He was allegedly subjected to extrajudicial execution by Indian paramilitary troopers and renegades in March 1996.

On 8 March 1996, eyewitnesses reported that Andrabi, then 42, was detained at approximately 6:00 pm by a Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army, which intercepted his car a few hundred yards from his home in Srinagar. He was allegedly detained by Major Avtar Singh of the 35th Rashtriya Rifles unit. Three weeks later, on the morning of 27 March 1996, Andrabi's body was found in the Kursu Rajbagh area of Srinagar on the banks of the Jhelum River. Press reports indicated the body had been placed in a burlap bag. An autopsy showed that he had been killed days after his arrest, indicating he was held for a period before his death.

The officer alleged to be responsible for Andrabi's detention and killing, Major Avtar Singh, fled the country and was wanted by the Indian government in connection with the killing. India issued a warrant for his arrest and an Interpol alert. A case remains pending adjudication in a Budgam court against Major Avtar Singh.

Years later, on 9 June 2012, Avtar Singh, then 47 and living in Selma, California, identified by police as the assailant, killed his wife, Hervinder Kaur, 36, and two of his three children, Jay Singh (aged 3) and Kinwaljeet "Aryan" Singh (aged 15). The eldest child, 17-year-old Kanwarpal "Chris" Singh, suffered serious head injuries from a handgun in the attack. Chris Singh called police to admit the killings; Avtar Singh then shot and killed himself. Chris Singh was taken off life support at Community Regional Medical Center in Selma and died on 14 June 2012.

Key facts

Victims
Kanwarpal "Chris" Singh, Hervinder Kaur, Jalil Andrabi, Jay Singh, Kinwaljeet "Aryan" Singh
Date
1996
Location
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India (site of 1996 detention and body recovery)
Case status
ongoing

Case timeline

  1. 1996-03-08

    Jalil Andrabi is detained in Srinagar, reportedly by a Rashtriya Rifles army unit led by Major Avtar Singh.

  2. 1996-03-27

    Andrabi's body is found floating in the Jhelum River in the Kursu Rajbagh area of Srinagar, inside a burlap bag according to press reports; autopsy indicates he was killed days after his arrest.

  3. 2012-06-09

    Avtar Singh, then living in Selma, California, kills his wife Hervinder Kaur and two of his three children, and seriously wounds his eldest son before shooting himself.

  4. 2012-06-14

    Kanwarpal "Chris" Singh, the eldest son who was seriously wounded in the June 9 attack, dies after being taken off life support.

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People

  • Kanwarpal "Chris" Singh

    VICTIM

    17-year-old son of Avtar Singh, seriously injured by gunshot on 9 June 2012; called police to report the killings; died 14 June 2012 after being taken off life support.

  • Avtar Singh

    CHARGED

    Indian Army Major alleged to have detained Andrabi in 1996; wanted by India via arrest warrant and Interpol alert, with a case pending adjudication in a Budgam court. In 2012 he killed his wife and two children in California before dying by suicide.

  • Hervinder Kaur

    VICTIM

    Wife of Avtar Singh, killed by him on 9 June 2012 in Selma, California.

  • Jalil Andrabi

    VICTIM

    Kashmiri human rights lawyer and pro-independence political activist detained in March 1996; found dead weeks later.

  • Jay Singh

    VICTIM

    3-year-old child of Avtar Singh, killed on 9 June 2012.

  • Kinwaljeet "Aryan" Singh

    VICTIM

    15-year-old child of Avtar Singh, killed on 9 June 2012.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India (site of 1996 detention and body recovery)

34.0837, 74.7973

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Kashmiri human rights lawyer Jalil Andrabi was detained by an Indian Army officer in March 1996 and found dead weeks later; the alleged perpetrator later fled India and, years afterward in California, killed his wife and two children before dying by suicide.
Where did the killing happen?
Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India (site of 1996 detention and body recovery).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: ongoing.
More cases in India

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDICMurder of Jalil AndrabiWikipedia · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ABC NewsABC News · 2026-07-10
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — abc30.comabc30.com · 2026-07-10