Study names alleged Indian Kashmir rights abusers
The 354-page investigation by two local rights groups, which draws on state documents obtained under freedom of information laws, alleges widespread disappearances, murders and torture.
The heavily militarised Muslim-majority region bordering Pakistan has been subject to a separatist insurgency and fierce government crackdowns for the last two decades, with abuses by both sides thought to be widespread.
The study, a blow to the image of the world's biggest democracy, examined more than a hundred killings, 65 disappearances, 59 cases of torture and nine rapes allegedly committed by government forces from 1990 to 2011.
"By naming names, the report seeks to remove the veil of anonymity and secrecy that has sustained impunity," said the report, which was released in Kashmir on Thursday.
"What is striking is that the documents in possession of the state itself indict the armed forces and the police by providing reasonable, strong and convincing evidence on the role of the alleged perpetrators in specific crimes."
The Indian army still benefits from the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, a draconian piece of legislation introduced in 1990 to quell the insurgency which offers legal impunity and rights to kill suspects and seize property.
The two groups behind the report are the International People's Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir (IPTK) and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP).
Gautam Navlakha from IPTK said the study was "just a tip of iceberg and yet a window into what took place in the last 22 years and the reign of impunity that persists."
In the cases examined, the groups name 500 alleged perpetrators, including 235 Indian army members, 123 Indian paramilitary personnel, 111 police officers and 31 government-backed militants or associates.
It also names two army generals, three brigadiers and senior serving and retired police chiefs.
The army and government declined to comment on the report.
United Nations rights officials have repeatedly raised problems in Indian Kashmir, calling on the government to repeal emergency legislation now that violence has waned and investigate alleged violations.
Militant attacks are at their lowest ebb since the start of the insurgency, but the army and defence minister are staunchly resisting any removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Last year, a local human rights group discovered mass graves of more than 2,000 unidentified bodies, alleging that many of them were people who had disappeared after being arrested by security forces.
Kashmir is carved in two by a de facto border and is jointly administered by India and Pakistan, who have fought two of their three wars over the picturesque Himalayan region.
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100% Jammu and kashmir will be free from both INDIA/PAK Inshah ALLAH
"SRINAGAR:Hundreds of Indian security officials including two generals and senior police officers have been named in a new report on human rights abuses in Indian-occupied Kashmir." Thanks for updating the information but the whole world knows about it very well,exactly and accurately more than now after publishing this information....In other words thanks for confessing that Indian troops are violating the human rights' laws in Occupied Kashmir because before now only Pakistan army's troops were defamed in this regard based on baseless,untrue,false,fabricated and embellished evidences by the Indian government.......
@Another North Indian
"we have a problem. we will solve it on our own terms"
BUT you see, it is NOT just YOUR problem. The Kashmir dispute involves Pakistan and the Kashmiri people on both sides of the LOC. The Pakistani and Indian governments along with the Kashmiri people must work together to solve this issue.
Kashmir is not like Assam or any other part of India, where the people don't want to be part of India. Kashmir is also not like Balochistan. Your own Pandit Nehru took the Kashmir issue to the UN. It is an international dispute. All maps of the region made outside of India show Kashmir as "disputed territory". You Hindutva types may thing it is your "atoot ang" But no one else buys that!
@ParvezM: I seriously believe as a Pakistani living under hypocracy, we have no moral, ethical or any sort of right to comment on India's democracy. It is the democracy which is allowing these local Kashmiri groups to release such prejudiced studies. If it was China Kashmiris will be burning themselves as people of Tibet are doing these days. Don't blind yourself with hatred for India, it is never too late to start fixing things in Pakistan.
@Pakistani: When you can not do any thing objective you can always dream. so keep dreaming my friend
This is a conspiracy to destroy great Indian democracy.
Kashmir belongs to the Kashmiris not to India or Pakistan. A diplomatic solution must be found to the conflict in which the Kashmiri people are treated as equal stakeholders with the Indian and Pakistani states.
As to the Indian nationalist claim that Kashmir is an "integral part of India" it is NOT. It is a DISPUTED AREA. It's not an "integral part" of any country.
Whatever the issues in "PoK" or Azad Kashmir as we prefer to call it, we don't have "half widows" or mass graves of the disappeared. Whatever issues Pakistan has, there is no excuse for the human rights abuses committed by the Indian Army in Held Kashmir.
@Pakistani: Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, KP will soon be free from Pakistan. Inshalla..whatever
"The study, a blow to the image of the world’s biggest democracy, examined more than a hundred killings, 65 disappearances, 59 cases of torture and nine rapes allegedly committed by government forces from 1990 to 2011"
This so-called group could not lay its hand on more than 100 killings, 65 disappearances, 59 torture cases and 9 rapes that could be considered a violation of humner rights in a fully armed and backed by a nuclear-armed country with Jehadi released in 1989 from Afghanistan inthe last 22 years.
Show me any other country where there are no human right violations or the numbers are so low. In a country of 1200 million, this figure is nothing. Is not Pakistan army doing same thing or worst in Balochistan and asking USA to kill its Jehadi by drones so that Human Right Groups cannot blame Pakistan army?
Muslim memory is short on atrocities of Muslims over Muslims but Non-Muslim over Muslims is itched in Cooran for ever. Take a life.
The human rights situation in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir must be in perfect order because it is under the repressive control of one of the world's worst violators of human rights. Why does not Pakistan allow foreign reporters or even their own reporters to investigate the situation in PoK. There is absolutely no transparency, let alone the respecting of human rights in that part of Kashmir. If Pakistan can kill, maime and persecute its religion minorities -- thousands of examples can be given, ending with the latest shameful destruction of a Hindu temple by mullahs and their mob thugs -- they also live in the perverted delusion that they can raise the human rights issue in J&K which is an integral part of India. Terrorism, a chief export of Pakistan, is the cause of the presence of Indian armed forces in J&K. Ask any Kashmiri if they want to join Pakistan, they will just walk away and would not even care to respond. Yes, India has problems in Kashmir, but these are created, largely, by Pakistan which faces an existential threat and desperately needs a raison d'etre to justify its bloated existence. Pakistan is, essentially, living on borrowed time and has been artificially created under the ruse of religion which has no meaning and is not a lasting glue to hold together a country that is on the cliff.
Time for Baloch people to make a similar report to what is happening there and perhaps ET to publish it with names?
@Yoghurt lover: Dear Sir, Any groups carrying out any study on Shias and Ahmedis in Pakistan or in the Hazara or Baluchistan areas please bring to our notice. The strong point in Indian Democracy is that we do not deny, hide or negate our fault lines. No one justifies killings for what ever reasons they occur.We are far from perfection in practice but our ideals and democratic values are strong. It is out media, Governments and human right groups who have been fighting for injustices carried out. We do not shun or discourage them. Look the way Gujarat riots or Babri masjid issues are going strong. "hum honge qamyab"
The data is from 1990 to 2011 which is 21 yrs. In the last21 yrs 1000 times more of these atrocities have been comitted in Balochistan alone not to mention of Karachi, KP etc
@Pakistani who writes "Indian occupied Kashmir will be free soon InshaAllah."
100% Jammu and kashmir will be free from all bigoted religious ideologues sponsored by Pakistan.
@Pakistani: you dont see the sands slipping away from your feet.
Indian occupied Kashmir will be free soon InshaAllah.
Need to see as to how much money they received from foreign.
This is will neither effect India's image nor EU or other human rights groups give two hoots about it.
@deep
"two local rights groups – I rest my case."
Well, you maybe under the delusion that whatever comes from New Delhi is sacrosanct. But local groups can be as honest as your lordship's appointment from New Delhi.
Let's not mix up things. Rights abuses have happened. It's also a result of the terrorism and spreading of venom by Islamabad.
This is exactly what Pakistan wants, abuse of Kashmiris' rights, so they can be alienated and antagonized against their own country.
A slightly different approach is needed. Terrorism and extremism must be crushed under draconian laws. Infiltration should be checked. Also, slowly and steadily the progress of the Kashmiris should be looked at.
Funnily enough, all the parties that have come to power in JK, legitimately, have let down the people by doing nothing.
two local rights groups - I rest my case.
India should send the soldiers to the borders. Cities are not to have gun trained on them.
Indian soldiers' presence in the streets of Kashmir is exactly what Pakistan wants.
So, decrease the check posts, absolutely vacate the streets of Kashmir and send the soldiers instead to borders to check infiltrations.