500 J&K security personnel violated rights, says report

Names of 500 serving Army, paramilitary and police personnel, allegedly involved in human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, were released by a rights group here on Thursday.

The list, part of a detailed report titled “Alleged perpetrators, stories of impunity in Jammu and Kashmir,” was released by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons and the International Peoples’ Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir.

The report, containing a summary of 215 cases, has named 235 Army personnel, 123 paramilitary troopers, 111 policemen and 31 counter-insurgents as “perpetrators” of rights abuse like killing, enforced disappearance, torture and rape since 1990.

“Among the alleged perpetrators are two major generals and three brigadiers of the
Army, nine colonels, three lieutenant colonels, 78 majors and 25 captains. Thirty seven senior officials of the paramilitary forces, a recently retired director general of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, as well as a serving inspector general, are the others involved in rights abuse,” Khurram Parvez, a rights activist and one of the authors of the report told mediapersons here.

The report took a dig at the Centre for its alleged policy of impunity towards the accused and criticised the Indian judiciary for not being serious in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“Cases presented in this report reveal that there is a policy not to genuinely investigate or prosecute the armed forces for human rights violations. There is an occasional willingness to order compensatory relief, but not to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“On the contrary, alleged perpetrators of crimes are awarded, rewarded and promoted by the State,” said Kartik Murukutla, a lawyer. “Despite the occasional passing of strong orders, this report contains numerous examples of the High Court effectively condoning the continuation of violations.”

The 354-page report has been compiled using informations obtained through the Right to Information Act, witness testimonies and police, judicial and the state Human Rights Commission records.

A copy of the report has been submitted to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.