NEW DELHI .A large numbers of people are arrested everyday but the police keeps no records. Public hospitals have no counters for registration of medico-legal- cases. Cases of fire are not recorded by the police; Houses are searched in the absence of its occupants.
These and other findings on the state of civil rights in Jammu and Kashmir were disclosed by a five member team which visited the valley at a news conference here Tuesday. The team members were Radha D’Souza of Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights, Bombay, K.Maiah of Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee.
Shetty of Lokshahi Hakk Sarghatna, Maharashtra, C.Bhaskar Rao and Nirmalananca of Organization for the Protection of Democratic Rights.
The team spent three days in Srinagar and a day in Jammu. A preliminary reports was released to the press, Maiah said the final report, to be published shortly will includes cases investigated by the team members.
The report said a person of the state was being tortured by the armed forces deployed there. Maiah cited the case of one Manzoor Ahmed who was hospitalized in Srinagar. The armed personnel had reportedly tied a cloth round his penis and torched it. Apart from third degree measures, barbaric methods are being used by the army personnel, the report said, the armed forces include the army BSF, CRPF, and ITBF.
CITIZENS FIRED AT; Unarmed citizens are fired upon without any provocation. In a typical crackdown men and women of a neighborhood are separated, made to sit at a Particular spot from dawn to dusk without food or water and, asked to use the same space as a toilet, while the armed personnel search houses in the absence of the occupants. Such crackdowns continue for days at times. Curfew is imposed after dusk so that the families cannot arrange for milk and bread, says the report.
Continuing in the same vein, the report says there is a complete breakdown of law and order. Women complain of molestation by the military. There is no recourse o justice for them. “A search party lifts the veil of a woman and stars singing teasing songs”, says D.Souza, Search parties are also accused of robbing. Women are asked for bribes for release of those detained without any records, says the report.
The team claimed that Girish Chandra Saxena, governor, Jammu and Kashmir, reportedly told them he could no longer depend on the State administration including the Judiciary and state civil service.
The team has appealed to immediately begin the process for withdrawal of armed forces from the state to restore civil administration and democratic rights to the people; to respect Article 370 both in later and spirit to set up TADA courts and release prisoners detained without trials, and to establish centers where citizens can ask for justice for excesses combined against them by the armed forces.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 1, 1991
