Monthly Archives: November 2011

Activists are too often killed, ‘disappeared’ or intimidated

India scarcely has a human rights record it can be proud of. Killings of human rights activists, intimidation and `disappearance’ of those who question the state’s ways, widespread use of torture by law enforcement agencies and the Parliament’s continued inability to enact enabling legislation to prevent human rights violations, underscore a disregard for basic humanitarian laws.
The recently-released Asian Center for Human Rights Report, ‘Torture in India 2011’ further reinforces this reality. The report states that between 2001 and 2010, 14,231 persons – or more than four persons per day — died in police and judicial custody in India. This includes 1,504 deaths in police custody and 12,727 deaths in judicial custody. The northern state of Uttar Pradesh leads the tally in judicial custody with 2,171 deaths, followed by Bihar (1,512), Maharashtra (1,176), Andhra Pradesh (1,037) and Tamil Nadu (744).

Despite amnesty for juveniles, more children are being tried and lodged with adults inside jails

Iftikhar Gilani
New Delhi

Despite official claims that no juvenile was under police custody in Jammu and Kashmir after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah declared amnesty for them two months ago, a human rights group has come out with a partial list of 51 children being tried in various courts.

In a fact-finding report based on the visit of its members to eight districts, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) fears that many more juveniles are being tried and lodged with adults inside J&K jails.

India’s government has prevaricated for months over whether to phase out controversial laws that protect soldiers operating in Kashmir from prosecution for alleged human rights abuses.

But the issue may be coming to a head because of a little-noticed Supreme Court ruling Friday over a case involving the alleged killing of five innocent men by army soldiers in the Pathribal district of Kashmir in 2000.

The court gave the government until Dec. 16 to decide whether to allow the Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s federal investigative agency, to push ahead with the investigation of five soldiers that it indicted for the killings in 2006.

SRINAGAR (IHK): In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Khawateen Markaz (MKM), a constituent of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference has expressed serious concern over the gross human rights violations by Indian police and troops in the territory, reports KMS.

The MKM at a meeting of its Executive Council presided over by the party Chairperson, Yasmeen Raja, in Srinagar discussed the present situation of the occupied territory. Speaking on the occasion, Yasmeen Raja demanded complete withdrawal of Indian troops and repeal of all draconian laws.

Toronto: On the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia (October 28-30), Peace and Justice Forum (PJF) has urged the Commonwealth leaders’ help to enable the Kashmiri people to exercise their Right to Self-determination (RSD).
Mr Mushtaq A. Jeelani, Executive Director of the PJF in separate letters to 53 Commonwealth leaders and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, expressed his serious concern about worsening human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.