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

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Jammu and Kashmir
Since its coming to power two years
ago the PDP-Congress coalition
Government led by Mufti Mohammed
Sayeed ordered as many as 54 inquiries to
probe extra-judicial killings and other
human rights violations. Only 1 probe was
concluded by 2004. 30
On the night of 10 January 2004, the
personnel of the 54 Rahstriya Rifles
reportedly shot dead a tea-stall owner
Abdul Gafar, resident of Suwari near
Rashtriya Rifles Brigade Head Quarter
Kotranka in Budhal area of district
Rajouri. The security personnel allegedly
opened heavy firing after they heard a big
bang caused by closing of the bathroom
door by the deceased. 31
On 11 March 2004, a 16-year-old boy
Javid Ahmad Dar was allegedly shot death
by the Rashtriya Rifles troops at Payer-
Jageer village in Pulwama district allegedly
without any provocation. 32
On 15 May 2004, security forces
allegedly shot dead an innocent teenaged
boy Firdous Ahmad Lone at Ganawpora
village in Sophian area. Lone was
reportedly playing cricket along with some
other youths. When they saw the security
forces, they ran. The security personnel
opened fire on them, killing Firdous on the
spot. 33
On the night of 9 June 2004, a night
patrolling party of security forces opened
fire on two farmers-Ghulam Mohammad
Mir and Fayaz Ahmad while the two were
watering their field in the village in
Pulwama district. While Mir died on the
spot, Fayaz was seriously injured. 34
On 5 July 2004, two youth from Kota
village in Damhal Hanjipora in Qazigund
in Anantnag district, Ghulam Mohammad
Naikoo and Abdul Rasheed, who were
working as labourers in Srinagar, had
reportedly gone missing. The villagers
came to know that the two have been
killed and buried at a local graveyard at
Lamad village in Qazigund. Upon
exhumation at the direction of the
Anantnag district administration on 27
July 2004, the two corpses were identified
to be of the two missing labourers. While
the locals said the deceased were innocent,
the army claimed the two were members
of armed opposition groups and were
killed in an encounter. 35
The Jammu and Kashmir Police
registered a murder case against the army
personnel for the killing of 17-year-old
Rizwam-ul-Haq and Muzaffar Ahmed
Ganai of Pulwama district on 10
September 2004. The State government
also ordered a probe into the killing. 36
On 22 September 2004, the army
personnel reportedly arrested one
Mohammed Yousuf Khan of Karnah in
Kupwara district. Four days later his body
was handed over to the Karnah police on
26 September 2004. Thousands of people
reportedly staged demonstrations
demanding probe into the killing. 37
On 15 December 2004, Border
Security Forces at Hathi Shah bridge in
Jamia Qadeem area of Sopore in
Baramullah district reportedly shot dead
three youth. The BSF claimed that they
were members of the armed opposition
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