SRINAGAR: A local human rights organization, the People Basic Rights (Protection) Commission has “indicted” the security forces for opening indiscriminate and unprovoked fire on a procession of mummers in Khanyar on May 8, resulting in the death of 16 Civilians and injury to at least 59.

Releasing the report of the “people’s commission of inquiry” Setup following requests from the Public to inquire into the Khanyar incident and boycott of the official inquiry commission Justice (retd) Mufti Bahauddin Farooqi, chairman of the organization and a former Chief Justice of the state, here said the report was based on a Statement of 40 witnesses while NO one appeared on behalf of the government.

The report alleges that on May 8 a patrol party of the CRPF fired the first shot on a crowd of about 80,000, who had assembled for the burial of five militants killed in an earlier incident. Thereafter, the CRPF men on duty at the burial ground also joined the patrol party in opening indiscriminate fire on the mourners.

The commission alleged that while the CRPF men continued to fire for 10 minutes, they again opened fire when people returned to the spot to pick up the dead and injured in spite of the loud pleading of the local police officials.

Contesting the government claim that the CRPF patrol party had been fired upon by someone in the crowd the report asked how was it possible that no one from the security forces was injured. Talking about the motive behind the firing, the report said the government did not relish the support shown by the congregation at Khanyar for the militants and the movement for the Kashmir night to self-determination, symbolized by them”. Justice Farooqi said the commission was likely to take up another inquiry into the June 11 firing on innocent people in the Chotta Bazar area in Srinagar in response to public pressure.

Talking to the newspersons, Justice Farooqi said the commission had filed habeas corpus petitions for the release of at least 100 innocent youths who had been unathorizedly arrested in the state high court. Besides charging the security forces with indiscriminate firing on mourners. Justice Farooqi said the security forces killed on an average 15 Kashmiris a day. He also charged the security forces with rape, arson, looting and indiscriminate arrests and torture to the unauthorized detained persons.

Referring to the charges that the “human rights organizations in Kashmir were the over ground militant outfits” Justice Farooqi said that everyone was free to have his opinion. He, however, asked the government whether international bodies like Amnesty International were also “militant outfits”.

 India for democratic solution In Yugusiavia

 NEW DELHI: India said on Wednesday a peaceful and democratic solution should be found through the process of negotiation to the crisis in Yugoslavia created by declaration of independence by two republics.

An external affairs ministry spokesman told newspersons that “we consider that all avenues for arriving at peacefully negotiated solution have not been exhausted yet”.

India hoped that the two sides themselves would be able to arrive at negated settlement, he said.

The spokesman said the republics of Yugoslavia should be aware of the value of maintaining beneficial links with one structure.

The Yugoslav government has said the declarations of independence by the re public of Slovenia and Croatia were illegal.

Article extracted from this publication >> July 5, 1991