40,000 people killed in Kashmir: India

Rights groups in Kashmir say toll could be close to 100,000 from revolt which began in late 1989.


Afp August 10, 2011
40,000 people killed in Kashmir: India

NEW DEHLI: Nearly 40,000 people have been killed in violence that has erupted over Indian-held Kashmir more than two decades ago, the national parliament was told on Wednesday.

Junior home minister Jitendra Prasad said 39,918 had died including 21,323 "terrorists" – the word used by India to describe insurgents battling New Delhi's rule in the disputed region.

"As per reports, 13,226 civilians and 5,369 security force personnel have been killed in terrorist violence in Jammu and Kashmir during the period from year 1990 to April 2011," the minister told parliament.

The figure is lower than the official police count in Indian Kashmir of more than 47,000 dead.

Some rights groups in Kashmir say the toll could be close to 100,000 from the revolt which began in late 1989.

Violence has sharply declined in the Himalayan region since India and Pakistan started a peace process in 2004.

The statement in parliament came after three policemen and an army officer were arrested in Kashmir following a probe into the death of a man in custody and an allegedly faked gunbattle last month.

Kashmir, a picturesque region in the Himalayan foothills, has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan since partition of the subcontinent in 1947 at independence from Britain.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars over control of Kashmir.

COMMENTS (21)

Cynical | 13 years ago | Reply

Please can we have, Names,Addresses,ID numbers of these 40,000 people. So that we can verify the exact no for certainty.In another newspaper(Pakistani) today I read the figure is 70,000.In Indian newspapers the figure varies anywhere between 30,000 and 90,000. This random throwing of number of deaths at the drop of a hat is sickening.

BruteForce | 13 years ago | Reply

@kam:

Why on Earth should I talk Kashmir with you? Do you go to every Chinese and talk Xinjiang with them? Why dont I see anyone from Pakistan talking about the brutalities in Xinjiang and conveniently ignore the issue altogether?

Like Kashmir, according to you at least, Uighur Muslims are driven out of their own homes by the Han Chinese, have been fired upon reported by your own media. Xinjiang is right next to Pakistan, just like the Kashmir. Just because Chinese Government gives you money, you have sold out, dont talk about Xinjiang. India atleast is open, you can even go and meet the people who oppose India and everything it stands for, click photos with them and openly offer support and the beauty of India is its Constitution stops the Government from finishing the Separatists off. China wouldn't hesitate a moment to kill them off.

So, I ask you again, why should I talk about a set of people considered to be citizens of the Republic of India? Who are you? Do you go and ask a Chinese to come and talk about Xinjiang? India, being the soft power that it is, doesn't know how to say no and it is a good thing.

India is following the right path and even Kashmiris cant help but be part of that growth story. I dont have to talk about Pakistan, you know well how it is faring among the comity of nations.

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