annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Jammu and Kashmir
The Central government and the All
Party Hurriyat Conference held
inconclusive parleys. However, human
rights violations both by the security
forces and the armed opposition groups
(AOGs) continued to be extensively
reported from Jammu and Kashmir.
The security forces were responsible
for arbitrary deprivation of life. Since its
coming to power two years ago Mufti
Mohammed Sayeed government has
reportedly ordered as many as 54 inquiries
into alleged extra-judicial killings and
other human rights violations. 2 These
included the killing of 17-year-old
Rizwam-ul-Haq and Muzaffar Ahmed
Ganai of Pulwama district on 10
September 2004. 3
There were also reports of enforced or
involuntary disappearances. Although on
22 January 2004, then Home Minister, L.K
Advani reportedly ordered an inquiry into
disappearances of at least 18 persons at the
request of the Hurriyat Conference, 4 over
6,000 reported cases of disappearance
remain unresolved. 5
Arbitrary arrest and detention of
political activists is commonplace.
Torture is not confined in Kashmir
alone. On 12 February 2004, an elderly
transporter, Manohar Lal Gandotra was
allegedly tortured to death at Pacca Danga
police station in Jammu district after being
picked up by police team headed by
Inspector Vijay Paul Singh. 6
The armed opposition groups like
Save Kashmir Movement, Harket-i-Jehad
Islami, Tehreek-Jehadi Islami, Laskar-e-
86
Toiba, Hizbul-Mujahideen etc have been
responsible for blatant violations of
international humanitarian law standards
by resorting to medieval forms of torture,
kidnapping and hostage taking. After the
announcement of the Lok Sabha polls in
Jammu and Kashmir along with the rest
of the country on 1 March 2004, armed
opposition groups stepped up attacks to
derail the electoral processes. As many as
242 persons including 69 civilians, 138
armed opposition group members and 35
security personnel were reportedly killed
in the violence during the parliamentary
elections. 7 Political activists became the
special target. In 2004, 62 political
activists respectively 35 from Peoples
Democratic Party, five from the Congress
and 16 activists of the opposition
National Conference were killed by the
armed opposition groups. 8 Political
activists of the over ground Kashmiri
separatist political parties also became
specific targets.
Women in Jammu and Kashmir
remained extremely vulnerable. They have
been specific target of violence by both the
security forces and the armed opposition
groups. Although the army authorities
initiated appropriate action against Major
Hussain Rehman for outraging the
modesty of the wife and 10-year-old
daughter of one Abdul Rasheed Dar in
Bader Payeen-I under Handwara tehsil in
Kupwara district, 9 most complaints of
violence against women including rape
went unpunished.
Women became victims of torture,