OCCUPIED SRINAGAR: The Indian army said Friday its soldiers exceeded their powers during an alleged "fake encounter" operation in occupied Kashmir that killed three men, in a rare admission of wrongdoing in the flashpoint region. Soldiers deployed by New Delhi have long been accused of abusing their emergency powers in occupied Kashmir.

The three men - cousins whom the army claimed were suspected "Pakistani terrorists" - were martyred on a counterinsurgency operation on July 18 in the southern occupied Kashmir valley, and buried in remote border area. But their families, who identified their bodies from pictures on social media, said they were local labourers.

The incident generated outrage in occupied Kashmir, with political groups, rights activists and many residents demanding an independent probe into the deaths. On Friday, army spokesman Rajesh Kalia said the soldiers on the operation had "exceeded" their powers and "contravened" the guidelines governing military conduct in Kashmir.

"Disciplinary proceedings" would be taken against those responsible, Kalia added. A concurrent police investigation into the killing had yet to establish the involvement of the three men "with terrorism or related activities," the army statement added.

Police normally accompany soldiers on such operations, although officials said this had not happened on the July operation. The men's families say the awaited results of a DNA test ordered as part of the investigation will prove they were local men.