India bars international human rights organizations from visiting Kashmir, where all foreigners must register with the police on entering the valley. But several Indian teams or concerned citizens have visited the valley and written very crucial reports.
In Srinagar Mufti Bahauddin Faroogi a former chief justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and his son, Shoukat Ahmed Faroogi a lawyer have begun documenting allegations of human and civil rights violations against
Talking about their work in an interview at Justice Farooqi’s home, they say they focus on both the state administration and on the | array of federal forces “deployed here: the Indian Army, the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Indo Tibetan Border Patrol, National Security Guards and various intelligence agencies.
Troops in Srinagar alone have commandeered at least 15 hotels as well as guest houses and private homes.
Justice Farooqi said the armed forces were sent to Kashmir in contravention of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in the Indian constitution.
Between 11,000 and 15,000 Ka| shmiris have been detained with’ out trial according to members of the Kashmir Bar Association who also say that bodies of some have been dumped along the Pakistan border to be labeled as “infiltrators.”
Reporters visiting the Kashmir Valley are inevitably introduced to victims of torture. Sometimes these are local policemen, who say they are distrusted by Indian forces, who doubt their loyalty. A state police constable in Baramulla said he was picked up, wearing civilian clothes, at a bus stop by federal troops.
“I showed them my police identity card,” he said. “The colonel said, “This has no value in my eyes,” refusing to implicate a Kashmir police officer in the terrorist movement, he said, he was subjected to electric shock.
“ They also put hot irons on Hanif Ahmad being treated at 2 Srinagar hospital for wounds he said were inflicted by Indian troops using an electric iron.my back and thighs,” he said. “When I asked for water, they threw petrol mixed with chilies on my wounds.”
“On the fourth day they threw me in a truck and told the driver to dump me at the side of the road and back over me,” he said.
He lifts his shirt, and loosens his hospital trousers to show dozens of branding iron burns on his body.
Kashmiris also charge Indian forces with theft an allegation also made it northern Sri Lanka when Indians were stationed there from 198 7 until early this year.
A woman in her mid-70’s said 32 soldiers of the Border Security Force entered the home where she lives with her son and his family. It was just after midnight. There was no warning.
They came in here where we were sleeping. I had 33, 700 rupees (about $2,000). They took 2 6,000. After they left we discovered they had also stolen our radio, a watch, shoes, slippers water glasses, a flashlight and a nut cracker.”
Surgeons and other medical staff are one of Srinagar’s largest hospitals crowded into a consulting room, all offering accounts of torture cases they have seen, including a man whose rectum had been tom by the insertion of a dirty bamboo pole.
“Whenever the medical profession has extended a hand to victims of the violence in our society, there have been problems,” a doctor said.“ The security forces have entered hospitals, beaten patients, hit doctors, entered operating theaters, and smashed instruments. Ambulances have been attacked, curfew passes are confiscated. A number of people have died unable to reach hospitals.
Doctors say there are shortages of medicines of diabetics, cardiac patients, ulcer treatments, hypertension and cancer. They charge that Indian Airlines won’t accept shipments of drugs from New Delhi, 600 miles away. The airline says it is curtailing cargo shipments for security reasons.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 22, 1990
