NEW DELHLI (PTI): the Indian Government as well as the Government of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir described as “unilateral” and not borne by facts the American based Asia Watch and physicians for human rights” Reports on Kashmir alleging that Security forces were committing rapes with impunity.
A Stale government spokesman here said all allegations against the security forces were investigated fully and pursued vigorously and most of them had been found to be “inaccurate, highly exaggerated and deliberately malicious.
He said wherever allegations were found to be correct prompt ‘action was taken and exemplary punishment meted out.
The spokesman Said since the outbreak of insurgency in the state in 1990, government had taken action against 97 personnel of the army and paramilitary, with 38 being sentenced to imprisonment and 10 dismiss outright from Service, He however failed to explain why almost every offender had been given relatively light punishment for grave offences of massacres and mass rapes.
In this connection the spokesman only cited the example of two army officers having been sentenced to two years imprisonment, the spokesman said if the militants were not incited, abetted and provided arms, there would be no human rights violations.
“Most of the human rights violations are being committed by militants themselves,” he said.
India’s Hindu dominated media has not so far published the Asia Watch report on Kashmir but has’ been much too eager to carry a contradiction by the Indian government. India’s semiofficial news agency, PTL, circulated a brief report on the basis of Asia Watch findings only a day after the Indian newspapers curried the government’s bland denial.
The spokesman said government’s concern for human rights issues was well known and it was committed to uphold them.
The New York based Asia Watch and Boston based Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) alleged in a report released on May 8 that “since the government crackdown against milt and is in Kashmir began in January 1990, reports of rape by security forces have become more frequent.”
In their report titled, “rape in Kashmir,” the two organizations claimed that their representatives had visited Kashmir as tourists to collect complaints.
They further alleged that the government of India had rarely investigated charges of rape and excesses by security forces and come (0 conclusion that this signaled that the,” practice of rape was tolerated, if not condoned.”
Reacting to these allegations, the spokesman said it had become a general practice for the militants, whenever under pressure,” to resort to deliberate disinformation campaign to demoralize the forces and deflect the thrust of (ant militancy) operations,”
“The militants hold out threats to the people that they would kidnap their kith and kin including government officers and members of the Press and coerce them 16 do things desired by the terrorists,” the spokesman said.
He rebutted most of the claims put forward by the Asia Watch and PHR Human Rig his Groups that security forces were indulging in rapes with impunity, however the Gov. spokesman could not explain why the governor or his representatives had refused to meet human rights workers in Kashmir, or the Asia Watch personnel on the request to the administration.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 14, 1993
