India: Secret Hanging a Major Step Back

“Questions need to be asked why the Indian government executed Afzal Guru now. No one argues that those who engage in serious crimes should not be punished, but the death penalty is brutal and irreversible, and there is no convincing evidence to suggest it serves as a deterrent.”

Under Indian law, the death penalty is supposed to be carried out only in the “rarest of rare” cases.

Afzal Guru was convicted for providing logistical support to those involved in the attack on the Parliament building in New Delhi on December 13, 2001, in which five heavily-armed gunmen entered the complex and opened fire indiscriminately, killing nine, including six security personnel, two parliament guards, and a gardener. All five attackers, later identified as Pakistani nationals, were killed. No member of parliament was hurt.

Four people, including Afzal Guru, were charged with conspiring in the attack and waging war. In December 2002, three people,Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru, and Afzal Guru, were sentenced to death. The fourth, Afsan Guru, was acquitted. Geelani was acquitted on appeal. In August 2005 the Supreme Court commuted Shaukat Hussain’s sentence to 10 years in prison but confirmed the death sentence of Afzal Guru. An appeal for clemency was filed for Afzal Guru but was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 3.

Many Indian activists and lawyers have claimed that Azfal Guru did not receive proper legal representation. He did not have a lawyer from the time of his arrest until he confessed in police custody. Azfal Guru claimed that he had been tortured into making his confession, which he later retracted. Several Indian activists and senior lawyers have said that he did not have effective assistance of counsel.

The Indian government has defended the conviction, saying that Azfal Guru was able to appeal his conviction and that his claims were rejected by higher courts.Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as an inherently irreversible, inhumane punishment. In July 2012, 14 retired Supreme Court and High Court judges asked the president to commute the death sentences of 13 inmates they said had been erroneously upheld by the Supreme Court over the past nine years. This followed the court’s admission that some of these death sentences were rendered per incuriam (out of error or ignorance). In November 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that the “rarest of rare” standard for capital punishment had not been applied uniformly over the years and the norms on the death penalty needed “a fresh look.”

“India should end this distressing use of executions as a way to satisfy some public opinion,” said Ganguly. “It should instead join the nations that have chosen to abolish capital punishment.”

Originally Posted at : Human Rights Watch

What happened at Jantar Mantar

Afzal Guru was hanged today. Days after Narendra Modi managed to “enchant” students at SRCC, Delhi. I woke up to this horrible news and felt really low. I wanted to talk to someone, express my grievances, express my sadness. With the murderers of thousands of innocent Kashmiris roaming around freely, I felt enraged as a Kashmiri. Afzal Guru was hanged for political gains alone, not because the Congress loves the Nation a lot. Yes, the Parliament attack was an attack on the Indian nation. So was the cold-blooded murder of Jaleel Andrabi– an attack on Kashmiri nationalism. When they raped the women at Kunan Poshpora, they raped a nation. The cover-up that was given to the murderers of Jaleel Andrabi, Asiya and Neelofar was an attack on our dignity. When the government of India refused to give sanction to prosecute the perpetrators of Pathribal fake encounter, our dignity was lost forever. So was our faith in the Indian judicial system. Two men implicated in Lajpat Nagar blasts were acquitted of all charges after more than a decade of detention and after two years of being on death row!

The murderers of Graham Staines, who along with his two little kids was burnt to death, were not awarded death penalty as the court refused to term it rarest of rare! The perpetrator of 1984 riots, Sajjan Kumar is still free. Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi were given a life sentence and not death as they were not directly involved. So, why Afzal Guru? Was it the symbolism of the attack? Was the Nation and the very idea of it not attacked when Muslims were brutally murdered and raped in Gujarat? Was the symbolism of that attack any less? There are apprehensions that his trial was not fair. Even his death sentence was not carried out in a fair manner. His last wish was to meet his family. But his family was informed through speed post. They could not even see his body as he was buried in Tihar Jail!

What happened at Jantar Mantar

A dispersed bunch of people gathered at Jantar Mantar today to express their sadness. To our left were Bajrang Dal goons with saffron colored scarves and tilaks (vermillion) on their foreheads. Initially we did not even have placards. Then some activists brought in the placards and the media immediately got enthusiastic about our protest. They finally got something colorful to show on TV. The police followed, with lathis and elaborate riot control tools. No sooner had the media and the police arrived, the Bajrang Dal goons started attacking us. Initially the police tried to push them back. But finally the goons were let loose on us. One of the goons jumped into the space between the cameras and us and started abusing us. We were still calm. He then tore off the posters. We didn’t react. When he finally attacked one of us physically, a brawl erupted.

We were pushed away. Then the police stopped intervening. We were getting pushed further and further towards the left. The goons kept attacking us, we didn’t hit back. We were only protecting ourselves. I was holding a placard that said, Afzal Guru was not given a fair trial. One of the goons jumped at me and tore off my poster. I just said, ‘bastard’ quietly and didn’t hit him in the balls.

We gathered again. But we were getting pushed to the wall. Quite literally. We were squeezed between a wall and the cameras and the goons who were attacking us over and over again. Two young Kashmiri boys, realising their helplessness, broke down. I, in a moment of rage, went berserk and started screaming at the top of my voice against the police. I think that moment was when the riot police tore off our posters. I screamed, “Sir yeh bomb nahi hai, poster hai” (Sir, this is a poster not a bomb), “Sir, aap hamein kyun rok rahe ho, in ko kyun nahi rok rahe” (Sir, why are you stopping us, and not them?). They were probably shocked by my screams for a while. They said, “dekhiye aap yeh sab nahi karo” (See, please don’t do all this), I screamed again, “Sir kya nahi karein, hum ne kiya kya hai, hamara toh peaceful protest bhi aapko terrorism lag raha hai aur jo hamein peet rahe hain un ka kya” (Sir, what is it that you want us to stop doing? Our peaceful protest looks like terrorism to you and what about the people who are beating us up?).

After a while, mud was thrown at us. Before I realised, I was being taken away by female cops. No, I wasn’t courting arrest. I just wanted a space to express my feelings. I have protested at Jantar Mantar before. For causes other than Kashmir. Since this time it was Kashmir, I was a terrorist by default who had to be detained. I kept asking them why they are detaining us rather than controlling and detaining those goons. I was put in a van along with one other JNU student. I was released after being detained for a while. I narrated the whole incident to Vrinda Grover, Gautam Navlakha, among others and told them that there might be others who were detained. While I was talking to him, another goon stealthily came up and smeared Gautam Navlakha’s face with mud. Yes, they blackened his face. I realised that I was released only because the police brought in a huge bus in which they started taking protesters away. The police van in which I was detained did not seem enough. A boy who voluntarily sat in the van was asked to get down. I was released after a while. I did not court arrest. I came away because it is important to narrate the story as Indian media might not show what happened.

They won’t tell you how the Delhi police protected goons in saffron and detained us instead. They won’t tell you that the police tore off our posters and asked us to stop! They won’t tell you all this. Many protesters have been arrested and lodged at Mandir Marg police station. On my way back, I saw many police barricades enroute Jantar Mantar with cops who were on the look out for Kashmiri-looking-men-and-women, potential protesters and I did spot a few of them heading in auto rickshaws toward Jantar Mantar, their eyes eager and their faces betraying a helpless look.

Originally Posted at : Shehla Rashid Online

A meeting inside jail with Afzal Guru

A rusted table, and behind it stood a well built man in uniform holding a spoon in his hand. Visitors, all of them looked habituated, queued up to open their plastic bags containing food, allowing it to be smelt, sometimes even tasted. The security man’s spoon paved its way through the thick grease floating curries—Malai Kofta, Shahi Paneer, Aalu Bengan, and Mixed Vegetables. As the visitors opened tiny bags of curries the spoon separated each piece of vegetable from the other, quite mechanically. 'Frisking' the food of a middle aged woman the spoon took a dip at the water in the steel bowl nearby. It then moved to the plastic bags of the next in the queue, an early teenage boy. By now water in the steel bowl has all kinds of colours. The floating oil gave it a vibgyor effect when light hit at it on the winter afternoon. Around 4.30 my turn came. The man left the spoon on the table and frisked my body top to bottom, thrice thoroughly. And when the metal detector made noise I had to remove my belt, steel watch, and keys. The man on duty bearing the badge of Tamilnadu Special Police (TSP) looked satisfied. I am allowed to enter now. This is the fourth security drill I had to go through to get into the High Risk Ward of Prison No 3 in Tihar Central Prison. I am on my way to meet Mohammad Afzal, one of the most talked about man in the contemporary times. A room with many tiny cubicles. The Visitors and inmate are separated by a thick glass, and iron grills. The two connected through a mike and a speaker fixed on the wall. Poorly audible, people at both sides of the glass strained their ears out touching the wall to listen other. Mohammad Afzal was already at the other side of the cubicle. His face gave me an impression of unfathomable dignity and calmness. A little short man in his mid thirties wearing white kurta paijama had a Reynolds pen in his pocket. Very clear voice welcomed me with the best of all mannerisms.

How are you sir?, he said. I said, I'm fine. Am I to return the same question to a man on the deathrow, was apprehensive for a second, but I did. Very fine. Thank you sir, he answered with warmth. The conversation went on for close to an hour, and continued a fortnight later with a second Mulakat. Both of us were in a hurry to answer and ask whatever one could in the time. I went on scribbling him in my tiny pocket book. He seemed to be a person who wanted to tell a lot of things to the world. But repeated his helplessness to reach people from the current stature of ‘condemned for life’.


Excerpts of the interview There are so many contradicting images of Afzal. Which Afzal am I meeting? Is it? But as far as I’m concerned there is only one Afzal. That is me. Who is that Afzal? A moments’ silence Afzal as a young, enthusiastic, intelligent, idealistic young man, Afzal a Kashmiri influenced like many thousands in the Kashmir Valley in the political climate of early 1990s, who was a JKLF member and crossed over to the other side of Kashmir, but in a matter of weeks got disillusioned and came back and tried to live a normal life, but was never allowed to do so by the security agencies who inordinate times picked me up, tortured the pulp out of me, electrified, frozen in cold water, dipped in petrol, smoked in chilies you name it, and falsely implicated in a case, with no lawyer, no fair trial, finally condemned to death. The lies the police told was propagated by you in media. And that perhaps created what the Supreme Court referred to as "collective conscience of the nation”. And to satisfy that "collective conscience” I’m condemned to death. That is the Mohammad Afzal you are meeting. After a moments’ silence, he continued. But I wonder whether the outside world knows anything about this Afzal. I ask you, did I get a chance to tell my story? Do you think justice is done? Would you like to hang a person without giving him a lawyer? Without a fair trial? Without listening to what he had to go through in life? Democracy doesn’t mean all this, does it? Can we begin with your life? Your life before the case… It was a turbulent political period in Kashmir when I was growing up. Maqbul Bhatt was hanged. The situation was volatile. The people of Kashmir decided to fight an electoral battle once again to resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful means. Muslim United Front (MUF) was formed to represent the sentiments of Kashmiri Muslims for the final settlement of the Kashmir issue. Administration at Delhi was alarmed by the kind of support that MUF was gaining and in the consequence we saw rigging in the election on an unprecedented scale. And the leaders, who took part in the election and won with huge majority, were arrested, humiliated and put behind bars. It is only after this that the same leaders gave call for armed resistance. In response thousands of youth took to armed revolt. I dropped out from my MBBS studies in Jhelum Valley Medical College, Srinagar. I was also one of those who crossed to the other side of Kashmir as a JKLF member, but was disillusioned after seeing Pakistani Politicians acting the same as the Indian politicians in dealing with Kashmiris. I returned after few weeks. I surrendered to the security force, and you know, I was even given a BSF certificate as surrendered militant. I began to start the life new. I could not become a doctor but I became a dealer of medicines and surgical instruments on commission basis (laughs). With the meager income I even bought a scooter and also got married. But not a day passed by without the scare of Rashtriya Rifles and STF men harassing me. If there was a militant attack somewhere in Kashmir they would round up civilians, torture them to pulp. The situation was even worse for a surrendered militant like me. They detained us for several weeks, and threatened to implicate in false cases and were let free only if we paid huge bribes. Many times I had to go through this. Major Ram Mohan Roy of 22 Rashtriya Rifles gave electric shock to my private parts. Many times I was made to clean their toilets and sweep their camps. Once I had to bribe the security men with all that I had to escape from the Humhama STF torture camp. D.S.P. Vinay Gupta and D.S.P. Davinder Singh supervised the torture. One of their torture experts, Inspector Shanty Singh, electrified me for three hours until I agreed to pay one lakh rupees as bribe. My wife sold her jewelry and for the remaining amount they sold my scooter. I left the camp broken both financially and mentally. For six months I could not go outside home because my body was in such a bad shape. I could not even share the bed with my wife as my penile organ had been electrified. I had to take medical treatment to regain potency…. Afzal narrated the torture details with a disturbing calmness on his face. He seemed to have lot of details to tell me about the torture he faced. But unable to hear the horror stories of security forces that operate with my tax money, I cut him short and asked: If you could come to the Case…, what were the incidents that led to the Parliament attack Case? After all the lessons I learned in STF camps, which is either you and your family members get harassed constantly for resisting or cooperate with the STF blindly, I had hardly any options left, when D.S.P Davinder Singh asked me to do a small job for him. That is what he told, “a small job”. He told me that I had to take one man to Delhi. I was supposed to find a rented house for him in Delhi. I was seeing the man first time, but since he did not speak Kashmiri I suspected he was an outsider. He told his name was Mohammad [Mohammad is identified by the police as the man who led the 5 gunmen who attacked the Parliament. All of them were killed by the security men in the attack]. When we were in Delhi Mohammad and me used to get phone calls from Davinder Singh. I had also noticed that Mohammad used to visit many people in Delhi. After he purchased a car he told me now I could go back and gave me 35,000 rupees saying it was a gift. And I left to Kashmir for Eid. When I was about to leave to Sopore from Srinagar bus stand I was arrested and taken to Parimpora police station. They tortured me and took to STF headquarters and from there brought me to Delhi. In the torture chamber of Delhi Police Special Cell, I told them everything I knew about Mohammad. But they insisted that I should say that my cousin Showkat, his wife Navjot S.A.R. Geelani and I were the people behind the Parliament attack. They wanted me to say this convincingly in front of media. I resisted. But I had no option than to yield when they told me my family was in their custody and threatened to kill them. I was made to sign many blank pages and was forced to talk to the media and claim responsibility for the attack by repeating what the police told me to say. When a journalist asked me about the role of S.A.R. Geelani I told him Geelani was innocent. A.C.P. Rajbeer Singh shouted at me in the full media glare for talking beyond what they tutored. They were really upset when I deviated from their story and Rajbeer Singh requested the journalists not to broadcast that part where I spoke of Geelani’s innocence. Rajbeer Singh allowed me to talk to my wife the next day. After the call he told me if I wanted to see them alive I had to cooperate. Accepting the charges was the only option in front of me if I wanted to see the family alive and the Special Cell officers promised they would make my case weak so I would be released after sometime. Then they took me to various places and showed me the markets where Mohammad had purchased different things. Thus they made the evidence for the case. Police made me a scapegoat in order to mask their failure to find out the mastermind of Parliament attack. They have fooled the people. People still don’t know whose idea was to attack the Parliament. I was entrapped into the case by Special Task Force (STF) of Kashmir and implicated by Delhi Police Special Cell. The media constantly played the tape. The police officers received awards. And I was condemned to death. Why didn't you find legal defence? I had no one to turn to. I did not even see my family until six months into the trial. And when I saw them it was only for a short time in the Patiala House Court. There was no one to arrange a lawyer for me. As legal aid is a fundamental right in this country I named four lawyers whom I wished to have defended me. But the judge S.N. Dhingra, said all four refused to do the case. The lawyer whom the Court chose for me began by admitting some of the most crucial documents without even asking me what the truth of the matter was. She was not doing the job properly and finally she moved to defend another fellow accused. Then the Court appointed an amicus curie, not to defend me, but to assist court in the matter. He never met me. And he was very hostile and communal. That is my case, completely unrepresented at the crucial trial stage. The fact of the matter is that I did not have a lawyer and in a case like this, what does not having a lawyer mean everyone can understand. If you wanted to put me to death what was the need for such a long legal process which to me was totally meaningless? Do you want to make any appeal to the world? I have no specific appeals to make. I have said whatever I wanted to say in my petition to the President of India. My simple, appeal is that do not allow blind nationalism and mistaken perceptions to lead you to deny even the most fundamental rights of your fellow citizens. Let me repeat what S.A.R. Geelani said after he was awarded death sentence at the trial court, he said, peace comes with justice. If there is no justice, there is no peace. I think that is what I want to say now. If you want to hang me, go ahead with it but remember it would be a black spot on the judicial and political system of India. What is the condition in jail? I’m lodged in solitary confinement in the high risk cell. I’m taken out from my cell only for a short period during noon. No radio, no television. Even the newspaper I subscribe reaches me torn. If there is a news item about me, they tear that portion apart and give me the rest. Apart from the uncertainty about your future, what else concerns you the most? Yes, a lot of things concern me. There are hundreds of Kashmiris languishing in different jails, without lawyers, without trial, without any rights. The situation of civilians in the streets of Kashmir is not any different. The valley itself is an open prison. These days the news of fake encounters is coming out. But that is only the tip of a big iceberg. Kashmir has everything that you don’t want to see in a civilized nation. They breathe torture. Inhale injustice. He paused for a moment. Also, there are so many thoughts that come into my mind; farmers who get displaced, merchants whose shops are sealed in Delhi and so on. So many faces of injustice you can see and identify, can’t you? Have you thought how many thousands of people get affected by all this, their livelihood, family…? All these things too, worry me. Again a longer pause Also global developments. I took to the news of the execution of Saddham Hussain with at most sadness. Injustice so openly and shamelessly done. Iraq, the land of Mesopotamia, world’s richest civilization, that taught us mathematics, use a 60 minute clock, 24 hour day, 360 degree circle, is thrashed to dust by the Americans. Americans are destroying all other civilizations and value systems. Now the so called War against Terrorism is only good in spreading hatred and causing destruction. I can go on saying what worries me. Which books are you reading now? I finished reading Arundhati Roy. Now I’m reading Sartre’s work on existentialism. You see, it is a poor library in the jail. So I will have to request the visiting Society for the Protection of Detainees and Prisoners Rights (SPDPR) members for books. There is a campaign in defence for you… I am really moved and obliged by the thousands of people who came forward saying injustice is done to me. The lawyers, students, writers, intellectuals, and all those people are doing something great by speaking against injustice. The situation at the beginning, was such in 2001 and initial days of the case that it was impossible for justice loving people to come forward. When the High Court acquitted SAR Geelani people started questioning the police theory. And when more and more people became aware of the case details and facts and started seeing things beyond the lies, they began speaking up. It is natural that justice loving people speak up and say, injustice is done to Afzal. Because that is the truth. Members of your family have conflicting opinion on your case? My wife has been consistently saying that I was wrongly framed. She has seen how the STF tortured me and did not allow me to live a normal life. She also knew how they implicated me in the case. She wants me to see our son Ghalib growing up. I have also an elder brother who apparently is speaking against me under duress from the STF. It is unfortunate what he does, that’s what I can say. See, it is a reality in Kashmir now, what you call the counter insurgency operations take any dirty shape—that they field brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. You are breaking a society with your dirty tricks. As far as the campaign is concerned I had requested and authorized Society for the Protection of Detainees and Prisoners Society (SPDPR) run by Geelani and group of activists to do the campaign. What comes to your mind when you think of your wife Tabassum and Son Ghalib? This year is the tenth anniversary of our wedding. Over half that period I spent in jail. And prior to that, many a times I was detained and tortured by Indian security forces in Kashmir. Tabassum witnessed both my physical and mental wounds. Many times I returned from the torture camp, unable to stand, all kinds of torture including electric shock to my penis, she gave me hope to live…We did not have a day of peaceful living. It is the story of many Kashmiri couples. Constant fear is the dominant feeling in all Kashmiri households. We were so happy when a child was born. We named our son after the legendary poet Mirza Ghalib. We had a dream to see our son Ghalib grow up. I could spend very little time with him. After his second birthday I was implicated in the case. What do you want him to grow up as? Professionally, if you are asking, a doctor. Because that is my incomplete dream. But most importantly, I want him to grow without fear. I want him to speak against injustice. That I am sure he will be. Who else know the story of injustice better than my wife and son? [While Afzal continued talking about his wife and son, I could not stop recollecting what Tabassum told me when I met her outside Supreme Court in 2005 during the case’s appeal stage. When Afzal’s family members remained in Kashmir Tabassum dared to come to Delhi with her son Ghalib to organize defence for Afzal. Outside the Supreme Court New Lawyers chamber, at the tiny tea stall on the roadside, she chatted in detail about Afzal. While sipping and complaining the tea for excess sugar she told me how Afzal enjoyed cooking.




 One picture she painted struck me deep—one of those dear private moments in their lives, he would not allow her to enter kitchen, make her seated on the chair nearby and Afzal would cook, holding one book in his band, a ladle in the other and read out stories for her.] If I may ask you about Kashmir issue…how do you think it can be solved? First let the government be sincere to the people of Kashmir. And let them initiate talk with the real representatives of Kashmir. Trust me, the real representatives of Kashmir can solve the problem. But if the government consider peace process as a tactics of counter insurgency, then the issue is not going to be solved. It is time some sincerity is shown. Who are the real people? Find out from the sentiments of the people of Kashmir. I am not going to name x, y or z. And I have an appeal to Indian media; stop acting as a propaganda tool. Let them report the truth. With their smartly worded and politically loaded news reports, they distort facts, make incomplete reports, build hardliners, terrorists et al. They easily fall for the games of the intelligence agencies. By doing insincere journalism you are adding to the problem. Disinformation on Kashmir should stop first. Allow Indians to know the complete history of the conflict, let them know the ground realities. True democrats cannot turn down the facts. If Indian government is not taking into account the wishes of Kashmiri people, then they can’t solve the problem. It will continue to be a conflict zone. Also you tell me how are you going to develop real trust among Kashmiris when you send out the message that India has a justice system that hang people without giving a lawyer, without a fair trial? Tell me, when hundreds of Kashmiris are lodged in jails most of them with no lawyer, no hope for justice, are you not further escalating the distrust on Indian government among Kashmiris? Do you think if you don’t address the core issues and do a cosmetic effort, you can solve Kashmir conflict? No, you can’t. Let the democratic institutions of both India and Pakistan start showing some sincerity, their politicians, Parliament, justice system, media, intellectuals... 9 security men were killed in the Parliament attack. What is that you have to tell their relatives? In fact I share the pain of the family members who lost their dear ones in the attack. But I feel sad that they are misled to believe that hanging an innocent person like me would satisfy them. They are used as pawns in a completely distorted cause of nationalism. I appeal them to come out of it and see through things. What do you see is your achievement in life? My biggest achievement perhaps is that through my case and the campaign on the injustice done to me, the horror of STF has been brought into light. I am happy that now people are discussing security forces’ atrocities on civilians, encounter killings, disappearances, torture camps, etc...These are the realities that a Kashmiri grows up with. People outside Kashmir have no clue what Indian security forces are up to in Kashmir. Even if they kill me for no crime of mine, it would be because they cannot stand the truth. They cannot face the questions arise out of hanging a Kashmiri with no lawyer. An ear-splitting electric bell rang. Could hear hurried up conversations from the neighbor cubicles. This was my last question to Afzal. What do you want to be known as? He thought for a minute, and answered: As Afzal, as Mohmammad Afzal. I am Afzal for Kashmiris, and I am Afzal for Indians as well, but the two groups have an entirely conflicting perception of my being. I would naturally trust the judgment of Kashmiri people not only because I am one among them but also because they are well aware of the reality I have been through and they cannot be misled into believing any distorted version of either a history or an incident. I was confused with this last statement of Mohammad Afzal, but on further reflection I began to understand what he meant. History of Kashmir and narration of an incident by a Kashmiri is always a big shock for an Indian whose sources of knowledge on Kashmir happen to be confined only to the text books and media reports. Afzal did just that to me. Two more bells. Time to end Mulakat. But people were still busy conversing. Mike put off. Speaker stopped. But if you strained your ear, and watched the lip movement, you could still hear him. The guards made rough round-ups, asking to leave. As they found visitors not leaving, they put the lights off, mulakat room turned dark. In the long stretch of walk out from the Jail No 3 of Tihar jail compound to the main road I found myself in the company of clusters of twos and threes, moving out silently—either a cluster of mother, wife and daughter; or brother, sister and wife; or friend and brother; or someone else. Every cluster had two things in common. They carried an empty cotton bag back with them. Those bags had stains of Malai Kofta, Shahi Paneer and Mixed Vegetables, often spilled over by the rash frisking of the TSP man’s spoon. The second, I observed, they all wore inexpensive winter clothes, torn shoes, and outside Gate No 3 they waited for Bus No 588, Tilak Nagar-Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium bus, that perhaps took them to Dhaulakuan main junction—they are the poor citizens of this country. Remembered President Abdul Kalam’s musing how poor people were the awardees of capital punishments. My interviewee is also one. When I asked him how much ‘tokens’ (the form of currency allowed in the jail) he had, he said “enough to survive”.

53 Mass rape survivors still wait for justice in Kashmir as India observes 'Women's Day'

Credits : Kashmir Times

Mar 7 (Agencies): Located in the remote northern district of Kupwara, Kunan Poshpora looks like any other village in Indian-administered Kashmir. But on Feb. 23, 1991 something happened here that would change this village forever.That night, villagers say that Indian troops laid siege to their village. The army assembled the men at several locations in the town and then entered homes.

"There were too many of them," says Saleema, a middle-aged woman whose last name was withheld to protect her safety. "Our lawn was filled with the army. They broke lamps, drank alcohol." She says she tried to flee but turned back to rescue one of her children. "I tried to flee, but one of my children was left in the house," she says. "I came back [to] get him, and they caught me. I tried to flee again but couldn't."

She says the soldiers terrorized her and the other women in their homes for nearly 12 hours.
"We were violated," she says. "The army entered our houses at 10 in the evening and left at 9 in the morning. First, they took out the men, and only God knows what they did to us then." She says that no one in the village was spared. "There were screams everywhere - from almost every house in the village," she says.

Despite the high number of women who were raped, she says that many declined to report the incidents because of the stigma suffered by the women who did. "My sister who was unmarried was here," she says. "She was raped, too. I didn't disclose her name, thinking who will marry her then?" Because of this stigma, Saleema is reluctant to go into many more details about the night."Only God knows what happened to us that night," she says. "It is an embarrassment talking about it again and again."

Kashmir, KUNAN POSHPORA MASS RAPE BY INDIAN TROOPS

Twenty years later, the night still haunts the residents. Men narrate tales of physical torture during their detention that night."It was a tragedy for the entire village," Saleema says. "We could hear cries from every house. The men were away, unawares."Villagers say that army soldiers stormed the village two decades ago, torturing the men and raping the women. The army denied the allegations, and the government determined that evidence was insufficient. But international organizations criticize the lack of prompt, thorough and independent investigations into the villagers' claims. Sociologists say the event has had severe socio-cultural effects, with villagers saying that the night destroyed their prospects for education, marriage and relations with other villages. The State Human Rights Commission directed the government to reopen the case toward the end of last year, but villagers are skeptical that justice will be served twenty years later.

Locals say they reported about 30 cases of rape to the police during the days following the event. But they say that the actual number of victims was much higher as many women chose not to disclose it because of the stigma it would bring. Human Rights Law Network, a collective of lawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of the legal system to advance human rights in India and the subcontinent, and Act Now for Harmony and Democracy, an Indian socio-cultural organization, heard the testimonies of various human rights violations in Kashmir in 2010. Their report deemed the incident in Kunan Poshpora "the worst of the human rights violations." The men of Kunan Poshpora say that the soldiers took them out of their homes to different places in the village. They say that they beat and tortured them throughout the night.

Abel Dar, an elderly resident, pulls up his shirt sleeve to show the scars on his arm from the night."All men were taken out of their homes, except little boys," he says. "We were all mercilessly beaten. They asked no questions - just beat us all night."But Dar says that what he found out at his home when he returned the next day. was much worse. His elderly mother, wife, two sisters-in-law, daughter-in-law, aunts and cousins had all been raped. His mother was in her 80s, and his daughter-in-law was just 18.

"My daughter-in-law was very beautiful," he says. "They took her along and released her next day around 1 p.m. My wife had to be operated upon after that incident. I had to spend a lot on her treatment."His daughter-in-law, a newlywed, was the last of the women in the family to be released. "It was the 11th day of my marriage," says Dar's daughter-in-law who requested anonymity to protect her family. "I was still a bride."

She says the soldiers broke in during the night."We were in our rooms," she says. "They broke doors and windows. They broke the door of the cattle shed to get into our house. We, the three women of the house, huddled in a single room." She says they had already taken the men away earlier in the evening."The men were taken out in the evening, and we had locked the doors then," she says. "Then there was chaos. There was no light, and we could only hear cries."
Then, they took her from her home. "They took me along to another village, and I was raped again and again. They left me three villages away at around 1 p.m. the next day."

Another victim, Saja, whose last name was also withheld, says her daughter needed surgery after the siege. "My daughter was stepped over in the dark by the security forces," she says. "Her legs were broken, and then she was kept in cold in the snow. I had to sell my land to get her operated upon."

After the rapes were reported the army denied the allegations, but the villagers' protests forced local police to address their complaints. A top district official at the time, S.M. Yasin, wrote in his report to the government that the armed forces had "behaved like beasts."
But even such admissions from government officials failed to secure justice for the victims. The army asked the Press Council of India, which aims to preserve the freedom of the press, to investigate the incident. The council's investigation deemed the allegations "baseless" and the medical evidence "worthless."

A report by Asia Watch, a division of Human Rights Watch, questions the investigation, though, stating that it served more to deflect domestic and international criticism than uncover the truth."The alacrity with which Indian military and government authorities in Kashmir discredited the allegations of rape and their failure to follow through with procedures that would provide critical evidence for any prosecution - in particular prompt independent medical examinations of the alleged rape victims - undermined the integrity of the investigation and indicates that the Indian authorities have been far more interested in shielding government forces from charges of abuse," the report states.

Multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions recognize sexual violence in conflict as a matter of international peace and security. They also call on member states for effective steps to prevent and respond to acts of sexual violence. In February 2012, an Amnesty International statement declared that members of the Indian army must stand trial when facing charges of serious human rights violations instead of hiding behind the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Amnesty International further that the government repeal the act, which exempts security personnel from being prosecuted for human rights violations unless approved by the central government.

Bashir Ahmad Dabla, a sociology professor at the University of Kashmir, says there is bound to be abuses where there is heavy militarization and legislation that removes accountability.
"When the military is put above the law with acts like.

Twelve years on, the villagers of Kunan Poshpora still await justice.Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA, there are bound to be cases of molestation, harassment, rape, sexual abuse," he says. "It has happened in all parts of the world: Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan."
The act was extended to Jammu and Kashmir state in 1990. Dabla says such abuse inevitably leaves a strong socio-cultural impact."The rapes of the women at Kunan Poshpora played havoc on the collective psyche of people," he says. "There were many cases of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicides and other psychological disease."

From education to marriage to health, villagers of Kunan Poshpora say that night changed everything - not only for the affected women but also for the entire population. They say this is because of the social stigma attached to rape, which is considered a blot on their honor. "The incident affected the education, relationships and every other aspect of our lives," Dar says. "Our children were taunted in schools and colleges, making them leave their education. We could only marry within the village. No marriage has taken place outside the village. Our social relations with other villages also changed."

Hajra, a woman whose last name was also withheld to protect her safety, says that she and her daughter were raped during the attack. In addition to the trauma it caused them, the sexual violence also destroyed her three sons' desires to gain an education.
"Who can tolerate if someone says anything about your mother or sister in school?" she asks. "They stopped going."

Saleema's children reported the same discouragement from gaining an education."Not only did we suffer, our children also became victims," she says. "They couldn't get education as they were taunted in schools. They would come home running, saying they won't go to school. With no education, they are unemployed now."

Ghulam Mohammad Dar, who is not related to Abel Dar, was 7 at the time of the incident. Many of his female relatives were raped, including his grandmother, who jumped out a window and hid in the grass but was caught and raped anyway. He says he dropped out of college because of the unwanted attention of the event that had made his village infamous and the trauma of having to relive it every time someone asked about it."We were taunted in schools and colleges," he says. "On the first day of college, I was asked to give introduction. When they heard I was from Kunan Poshpora, they asked me can I tell what happened and what was it all about. That was it. I didn't go back to college."

He says that many other girls and boys from the village also dropped out of school because of this stigma."It is better to die than listen to the taunts," he says.He says that the decline in education has led to an increase in unemployment and poverty. He says marriage was also affected. "The victims are still reluctant to talk as it brings a bad name," he says. "Since that incident we marry within the village only."He says it also affected pregnancies. His cousin was nine months pregnant when she was gang raped that night. The baby was born with a fractured arm.

"There are so many women among them who never had children," he says. "There were some who could never get married."

In October 2011, the State Human Rights Commission gave directions for reopening the case after hearing pleas from the victims from the village. It recommended the formation of a special investigation team, monetary compensation of around $4,000 to victims and prosecution of the head prosecutor who had ordered the case closed. The state government is not bound to follow the commission's directive. It has been four months, and the government has not made any announcements regarding the case.

But Shamim Firdous, a member of the Legistlative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, says the government is working on it. "The government has already taken up the matter and is very particular to solve the issue," she says.Firdous, who is also the chairwoman of the State Commission for Women, says that the women's commission has already recommended an investigation into the incident to the state government. But she says it's difficult when victims don't want to come forward. "Not all women have come out, and we wanted them to do so and also grant them compensation," she says.

Villagers say they aren't interested in money. They just want accountability.
"We won't sell our honor for those 2 lakhs," Abel Dar says. "The perpetrators should be punished according to the Indian law, and we want to see those men punished with our eyes. The law applies on them as well."Saleema says they want justice - for the guilty to be punished.
"They are saying they will give us the money, but we don't want that," Saleema says.
Hajra agrees that justice has not been served.

"Twenty years of giving statements have given us nothing," Hajra says, almost shouting with anger. "What have we gained out of it? I was telling the men not to talk to anyone anymore."
Hajra laments the the compromises and suffering the victims have had to make. She says she had to marry her daughter to a poor man because of the stigma of being a rape survivor.
"I married my daughter, but to whom?" she asks. "The family doesn't even have enough food. What could I have done? Is this justice?" Instead of justice, the villagers accuse the government of being partial to them since the incident.

"They are punishing us since we decided to raise our voice," Ghulam Mohammad Dar says.
Saleema and her fellow villagers say raising their voices does no good, expressing resent toward talking to the media and other agencies."We have been giving statements for the last 20, 22 years," Saleema says. "But nothing happens. I am asking you why nothing comes out of it?"

FIR & Chronology of Attacks on Syed Ali Shah Geelani

FIR & Chronology of Attacks on Syed Ali Shah Geelani

To

The Station House Officer,
Police Station Sopore.

Subject: Registration of an FIR.

In a peaceful rally of Syed Ali Geelani in Iqbal Market Sopore on 11-11-2011 a suspicious person was caught hold by the people. By the Intervention of Syed Geelani he was handed over to the police with a hope that matter will be probed into thoroughly. Instead of probing the matter, the SP Sopore as per news report of Greater Kashmir dated 12-11-2011 had stated that the gunman belonged to army intelligence wing and he had gone to rally to record Geelani’s Speech and that he has been admitted in a hospital.

Today i.e. on 13th of November 2011 the daily Greater Kashmir has reported that as per army Naik Kamlesh Kumar Mishra was a member of a covert team of Army and State Police and had been sent to Sopore to gather information of the presence of terrorists in the public rally. The news paper has however further reported that as per police they were not a part of any joint intelligence operation at Sopore during Geelani’s rally and that intelligence operations are not carried out by the police jointly with the army.

From the aforesaid sequence of events it’s fully established that Naik Kumlesh Kumar Mishra and army personnel had gone to Mr. Geelani’s rally on 11-11-2011 with a pistol and he was not part of any covert operation. He had been perhaps sent by some agency to target Mr. Geelani, but for the timely intervention of the people he couldn’t succeed in his nefarious design. He has been a part of some deep rooted conspiracy hatched by the army intelligence to eliminate Mr. Geelani and it is with that objective that he had come all the way from Srinagar or from elsewhere to attend the rally. The claim of Army that he was a part of a covert team of army and police having been rejected by the police the matter appears to be very grave and serious.
You are accordingly requested to register an FIR in the matter so that the conspiracy hatched to eliminate Mr. Syed Ali Geelani is unearthed and the conspirators as well as the perpetrators of crime are brought to book.
Yours Faithfully

Ayaz Akbar
Spokesman
All Parties Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir

Copies news items of Greater Kashmir are enclosed herewith.

Greater Kashmir dated 12-11-2011 on page 10

YOUTH NABBED WITH PISTOL

An unidentified youth allegedly carrying a pistol was beaten to pulp by people on the suspicion of being personnel of some government agency during Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s rally in Sopore on Friday.
Soon after Geelani concluded his speech, an unidentified youth was caught by the people and severely thrashed.

The spokesperson of Tehreek-i-Hurriyat, Ayaz Akbar, said the youth was from some government agency and a pistol was also found in his possession. He said it was only after Geelani’s intervention that the youth was set free. He condemned the presence of an armed personal during public gathering that too with a weapon.

“The person could have made attempt on the life of Geelani sahib or intended to disrupt the public gathering,” Ayaz Akbar said.

Greater Kashmir dated 13-11-2011

Army confirms soldier’s presence in Geelani rally

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Srinagar, Nov 12: The Army has said the man who was beaten up by mob on suspicion that he had made an assassination bid on Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani during a rally here was actually a member of its "covert team".

"An army man was beaten up by mob due to mistaken identity (in the public rally addressed by Geelani yesterday). His service pistol, identity card and mobile were snatched by them," a defence spokesman said here in a statement.

A "covert team" of army and state police was sent to Sopore, 55 kms from here, to gather information on the presence of "terrorists" in the public rally, he said.
Hurriyat (G) had yesterday claimed an assassination attempt was made on Geelani by a man carrying a pistol who was nabbed by people at the rally.
"The man was nabbed when he was asked to show his identity card at the rally...Why would a man come to a rally with a pistol. It could possibly have been an attempt to target Geelani," Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar had said.

The defence spokesperson said, "The man, seriously injured, was rescued by his colleagues, and admitted to the army hospital...A case has been lodged by the army against the miscreants."

GKNN ADDS: Meanwhile, police claimed that they were not part of any joint intelligence operation in Sopore town during Geelani’s rally to nab militants.

Highly placed sources in Jammu and Kashmir Police said that intelligence operations are not carried out jointly.

They said an FIR lodged by army in Sopore police station doesn’t mention the role of police anywhere.

Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani rebutted the Army claim, saying the MI personnel was released by youth on his intervention.
“These are concocted and baseless claims. They first claimed that the MI personnel was present in the rally for gathering reports and now they say he was there to nab a militant. This shows how much truth is in their claims,” he said.

He said after the Friday prayers his rally passed off peacefully as he had changed the venue to avoid clashes of youth with CRPF men at Main Chowk.
“When I was leaving the rally venue, some youth told me that they had caught an Army personnel. I asked them to release him and they promptly acted upon my advice,” Geelani added.

=================================================

Here is brief chronology of the attacks on the life of Syed Ali Geelani, Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Tahreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu Kashmir.

In less than 36 hours on May 1996, two attacks were made on the life of Syed Ali Geelani, Senior leader of Jammu and Kashmir Mr. Geelani was targeted eight times by the Indian Forces and India backed renegade militants with the aim to eliminate him from the political scene of Jammu and Kashmir. There have been several attempts on the lives of other All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders (APHC) too.

1.Oct. 30, 1995: A powerful attack on official residence at Hyderpora.
The attack severely damaged the outer wall and the ground floor of the
building, first floor catching fire. The windowpane of the houses in
an area of about one-kilometer was shattered.

2.Dec. 31, 1995: Indian Regular Forces along with some renegade
militants barged into the residence at Hyderpora with the aim to kill
the leader. Mr. Gee1ani along with his family members remained locked
in a room. The neighbors informed the police and other people. After
an hour they left before they were heard of saying that the mission
was exposed.

3.Dec 10, 1995: The houses of the two brothers of Syed A1i Shah
Gee1ani namely Syed Mirak Shah and Syed Wali Muhammad Shah of Dooru
Sopore were set on fire in broad daylight by the army and their agents
working in the area. The residential house of Syed A1i Shah Geelani
was also partially damaged.

4.Dec 18, 1995: The same house of Syed Ali Shah Geelani was blasted
and raised to the ground.

5.Jan 1, 1996: Task Force (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police raided the
official premises and extensively searched the house for two hours.
Nothing incriminating was found. It was believed that they had come to
survey the areas.

6.March 26, 1996: A powerful explosion severely damaged the front wall
of the first floor; the window and doors were shattered.
7.April 9, 1996: A grenade attacks on the western side of the
premises. No damage.

8.May 9, 1996: Firing on the Hurriyat cavalcade at a village near
Sopore by some miscreants belonging to Army backed renegade outfit
Ikhwan-ul-Muslimoon. The Jammu and Kashmir Police accompanied the
leader, caught hold of some renegades and snatched their rifles.

Rashtriya Rifles personnel, the security agency patronizing the
renegades camping nearby were out raged at the police action and
dragged all the leaders out of their cars. The leaders were beaten
severely. Mr. Abdul Gani Lone and Mr. Shabir Ahmad Shah were injured
Abdul Ahad Waza was beaten and injured. He was hospitalized on his
return to Srinagar from Sopore; a bomb was thrown on the car carrying
Syed A1i Shah Geelani at Narbal near Srinagar. The Bomb hit the escort
Car damaging its windscreen. Those traveling by car escaped unhurt.
The police recovered four landmines from the spot.

9.May 9, 1996: 40 gunmen entered into residence of the Syed Ali
Geelani but the guards strongly resisted their entry. Meanwhile the
police reached on spot but allowed these gunmen to leave the area
without questioning their motives.

10.May 16, 1996: Rocket attack on Hyderpora official residence. The
rocket exploded near the main gate. The local police recovered another
unexploded rocket.

11.May 17, 1996: Another grenade attack within less than 36 hours
exploded near the outer wall damaging it. Eyewitness said that they
saw security vehicle in the area minutes before the explosion. No one
was injured.
12.June 8, 1996: Indian Army and their agent’s showered nine grenades
and hundreds of bullets at 11 P.M on the residential house of Syed Ali
Shah Geelani at Hyderpora Srinagar.

13.Oct. 13/14, 1996: The house of Syed Ali Shah Geelani was again
attacked and fired upon from the main airport road. The firing
continued for about thirty minutes. The bullets hit the main gate and
other parts of the outer wall of the building.

14.March 12, 1999: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC)
Chairman, Syed Ali Geelani and his associates were attacked by dozens
of armed youth in a local hotel City Heart Hari Market Jammu late in
the evening. The incident took place at about 9.45 P.M.

15.September 7, 1999: The APHC chairman Syed A1i Geelani and his
associates were attacked by BSF-I72 Btn. Led by Inspector Rajiv
Kumaran main Chowk Kulengam Handwara while addressing election boycottrally.

16.September 8, 1999: On the same day they were subjected to another
attack by STF led by Inspector Sharma at Kulengam Handwara at 8. P.M
he had narrow escape when a bullet hit a near by wall and also the
tier of Geelani’s car.

17.On 30th June, 2000: The Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani and his associates had a narrow escape when they wereassaulted by the army personnel on their return from Magam Handwara.
The Incident occurred when Hurriyat leaders were proceeding to’
village after addressing a rally at Magam Handwara Kupwara.
This is the brief chronology up to 30th June 2000. If this could
happen with a prominent leader of Jammu and Kashmir one can imagine
the plight of masses over there.

We appeal to the world community to take note of the situation and
attacks on the life and property of the civil and political activists.

Ayaz Akbar
Spokesman
All Parties Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir

US plans Jewish state in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK)

Lahore – The CIA designed a plot to create a rift in Pakistan as well as other Islamic states and China for the supremacy of the US and India in 1994, it has been revealed.

The CIA planned to create rift among the Army, other sensitive departments and the political forces in Pakistan to establish another Jewish state in the Indian-held Kashmir. According to the design, the international aid-backed non-government organisations are in action to implement the plan of strengthening Indian lobby in Balochistan and establishing another Israeli state in IHK.
, which would eye Pakistan and China.

The CIA planned to isolate and malign the Army and other sensitive organisations because these institutions stand as the biggest hurdles to the CIA designs in the region resisting US’s penetration and fight Indo-US nexus aimed to create anarchy and lawlessness

Published at : The Nation

Indian trooper arrested for molesting woman in Indian-occupied Kashmir

Srinagar, June 17 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, an Indian Army personnel was arrested for molesting a woman at Mendhar town.

The trooper molested a woman near Dak Bungalow in the town.

Some people who heard some noise when the trooper attempted to molest the woman informed police and arrested the accused on the complaint of the victim. The woman was sent for medical examination to hospital.
   
On the other hand, a young girl was disgraced by a miscreant at Shalli in Dansal area under the jurisdiction of Jhajjar Kotli police station in Jammu, while a woman pilgrim, who had come to attend the annual urs at Babanagri in Kangan has been missing for past 5-days.

Meanwhile, three persons including a child died and 23 were injured in separate incidents across the Kashmir valley.

Courtesy: Kashmir Media Service

Indian Army admits molesting and misbehaving with tourists in occupied Kashmir

Srinagar, June 08 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, a day after an Indian army trooper molested and misbehaved with female Indian tourists and assaulted several others in famous health and tourist spot of Pahalgam in Islamabad district, the Indian army had admitted the involvement of its trooper.

The trooper of 3-Rashtriya Rifles, eyewitnesses said, misbehaved with women and thrashed the male tourists with gun butts in Pahalgam. Several people including women were injured in the assault by the soldier, who was carrying a rifle at the time of the incident.

Lt Gen S.A Hasnain, AVSM, SM, VSM, GOC Chinar Corps, deployed in Srinagar, ordered a fast track enquiry and found the trooper’s involvement, said a statement issued by Indian army’s spokesman in Srinagar.
 
"The Army has taken strict disciplinary action against the erring soldier for misbehaviour with tourists," Indian army spokesperson J S Brar said in a statement.

The statement, however, did not mention what action was taken against the guilty trooper.
 
“The Army man pointed their guns on my chest and tried to shoot me. Had the locals not come to rescue me, I would have been dead by now”, an Indian tourist Sunil Mishra had told media men after the incident. The incident brought scores of taxi drivers, traders and locals on the streets, who staged strong anti-India and anti-Army demonstrations. Chanting slogans, the protesters demanded stern action against the trooper.

Meanwhile, reacting to the enquiry set by the army, civil society groups in Kashmir have said that there was nothing surprising in the move. "The Omar Abdullah regime is hyper-sensitive to tourist need and support. There is nothing surprising in the action against trooper," Khurram Pervez, Coordinator Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society, said.

Source: Kashmir Media Service

Complete shutdown in Shopian town

Srinagar, May 31 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, complete shutdown was observed in Shopian town for the second consecutive to commemorate the death anniversary of two Kashmiri women, Aasiya and Neelofer, who were molested and murdered by men in uniform in 2009.

All shops, government and private offices and banks remained closed while traffic was off the road on Monday. The occupation authorities had deployed large number of Indian policemen and paramilitary troops to prevent people from holding demonstrations in the town.

The incident had sparked a wave of protests across the Kashmir Valley. Shopian had observed strike for 47 consecutive days to press for the identification and punishment of the perpetrators.

On the other hand, the police have arrested in-charge Police Post Pul Doda in connection with the harassment of a college girl who jumped into Chenab river on Sunday after she was terrorized by the policemen. The dead body of the girl was yet to be traced.

Source: Kashmir Media Service

Amnesty International: 1224 fake encounters in India in 15 years

Human Rights watch, the Amnesty International has said that over thousand people were killed in 'faked encounters' in India between 1993 and 2008.

According AI's Annual Report 2011, "Recent data disclosed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on people killed in clashes with the police between 1993 and 2008, showed that of the 2,560 deaths reported, 1,224 (deaths) occurred in “faked encounters” implying they were extra-judicial executions," adding, "By the end of the year, the NHRC had awarded compensation to the relatives of 16 victims," the report mentioned.

"Convictions of those responsible for extra-judicial executions were exceptionally rare and proceedings in such cases remained slow," AI said.

The Amnesty said, "Impunity for past violations in Kashmir, including the disappearance of thousands of people since 1989 during the armed conflict in Kashmir, continued."

Official inquiries into some of the violations made slow or little progress, the report reads.

"Between June and September, the police and security forces fired at protesters during pro-Independence protests demanding accountability for past violations in the Kashmir valley. More than 100 people, mostly youths, were killed and 800 others, including media workers, were injured," the report reads further.

According to the report, "An inquiry, instituted by the state authorities, covered 17 of the 100 deaths, despite demands by Amnesty International and other organizations for an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into all the deaths. The inquiry made little progress."

The authorities made widespread use of administrative detentions, detaining 322 people between January and September, the report concluded.

Source: The Nation

FRONTLINE KASHMIR page with 28,000 members blocked in Kashmir and India by TRAI. Hell with Indian Democracy

In another bid to muzzle the voice of innocent and oppressed Kashmiris, Telecom regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has blocked the URL of the largest Pro-freedom Kashmiri facebook Page "FRONTLINE KASHMIR" with 28,000 above regular members. FRONTLINE KASHMIR page is no more visible in Occupied Kashmir and in India. It was the page which spearheaded the Online Struggle of the Kashmiris against the illegitimate occupation of Kashmir by the Indian forces. It used to update and inform the masses about the atrocities and crimes committed by the Indian forces and it's puppet authorities against the innocent Kashmiris. This page was also hacked previously in August 2010 by the Indian hackers but admins were successfully able to rebuild the page.

India claims to be the largest democracy of the world, yet it's hell bent on snatching all the basic human rights of Kashmiris. Local and Foreign media is banned in Kashmir since last summer and only Pro-indian media networks are allowed to operate in Occupied Kashmir. Facebook is the only mean to keep the world updated and informed about the daily happenings but now Indian authorities are trying to put a curb on social networks too, using all its means to suppress the voice of oppressed Kashmiris who are struggling for Freedom from India since past 63 years.

India can try to silence us by torturing us, killing our brothers, raping our sisters and detaining our elders, putting curbs on media and blocking our pages and websites but it won't be able to break our resolve, determination, Passion and motivation for the Freedom Of Kashmir.


Facebook link : www.facebook.com/kashmirazadi

Asscociated pages : 
www.facebook.com/aalaw
 www.facebook.com/KashmirTheBurningParadise

Twitter page :

https://twitter.com/#!/FK_kashmir

It's time to declare India a Terrorist State

The only country in the world, other than Israel, to have acquired land through conflict or intimidation after the end of World War 2 is India. Israel has the excuse at least that in some of their conflicts with the Arabs they pre-empted imminent aggression and thus were not the aggressor per se. In the South Asian sub-continent, India has openly coveted (and/or made designs to take possession thereof) before actually annexing their neighbour or their prime real estate. In every incident of aggression, care was taken to garb the nakedly expansionist moves under some camouflage or the other.

EXTERNAL TERRORISM

The first to fall into India's grip was Kashmir, the legal subterfuge used was the Maharaja's Letter of Accession. This was followed by military intervention to annex Hyderabad, Junagadh and Manawadar in 1948. In 1960 it was the turn of the Portuguese possessions of Goa, Daman and Diu in a farcical war. The smaller princely States of India were just taken over lock, stock and barrel at the appropriate time. As the world started to look askance at naked aggression, India turned increasingly to subterfuge. In 1968 they formed the Research and Analytical Wing (RAW) whose main purpose at that time was to organise covert operations in Bangladesh, in this they were actively supported by the Border Security Forces (BSF) whose Deputy Director General (DDG), in this case Brig Pande, was based at Calcutta with an alternate HQs in 91 BSF at Agartala for operational purposes. With the creation of RAW, India turned from naked aggression to sophistication in the pursuit of its ambitions. RAW became involved in covert operations in all the peripheral countries around India. While RAW's role in the creation of Bangladesh did not get much attention, its operatives were in constant contact with hard-core India sympathizers within Awami League (AL) such as Tajuddin, Nazrul Islam, etc. Through these surrogates RAW maintained pressure on Sheikh Mujibur Rehman whenever he started weakening in his anti-Pakistan stance. After 1971, RAW retained its interest in Bangladesh, raising a parallel military organisation loyal to AL (and India) known as the Rakhi Bahini headed by Brig Nuruzzaman. As a Captain of the Pakistan Army, Nuruzzaman had undergone trial for treason in the famous Agartala Conspiracy Case. Though they were better armed and organised than the Bangladesh Armed Forces, the Rakhi Bahini was easily disarmed and demobilised by the Bangladesh Army post-Mujib. RAW agents have since become a permanent factor for destabilisation in Bangladesh, having subverted the loyalties of a large segment of the Hindu population. After Sheikh Mujib was assassinated, they re-created the 1971 vintage Kader Bahini led by the infamous Kader Siddiqui who operated from Indian territory from 1975 to 1985 and constantly troubled the Zia Regime (and later the Ershad regime) with many instances of terrorism. Today India sustains the Chakma revolt against Bangladesh in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by supporting the Shanti Bahini which makes cross border raids from training and logistics camps in the Indian Tripura State at Amarpur, Sabroom and opposite Baghban-Tilla.


Westerners were captivated by the marriage of the American Ms Hope Cooke with the ruler of the Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim in the early 60s. Set in a fairytale Shangri-La atmosphere Sikkim became known as one of free world's remaining ancient monarchies. But trouble incited by RAW was brewing from 1973 onwards. RAW planted agents in Gangtok, Mangain, Namchi and Gyalshing for cultivating sympathisers who would fan disturbances against the reigning monarch and would then 'request' for Indian help against the 'despot'. Just in case the anti-monarchist ploy did not work, RAW was ready with operational data required for military intervention. On 20 April 1975, the once friendly and peaceful kingdom of Sikkim became a possession of India.

Bhuttan's Jigme Wangchuk of the adjacent Himalayan Kingdom took this lesson to heart and while he clearly pouts at regional official functions he does not strain too much at the leash and studiously toes the Indian line, realising that his situation is probably more untenable than his once-upon-a-time Sikkim Counterpart. Nominally, he remains, along with the Maldives, as showpiece independent nations and the only ones on India's periphery 'without' problems with India. Just in case that he should ever dream otherwise, the Kingdom is prone to inspired pro-India riots from time to time. This domino will fall eventually or may not depending upon whether the Indians want to keep the showpiece going.

Nepal is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. King Bhirendhra ran afoul of India because of his independent stance on regional policies. Previously known as an annexe of India, Nepal opened out to the world in the late 70s and early 80s. RAW was mandated by the Indian Government to bring Nepal into line. The first set was that India used a pretext to halt all supplies of food, medicine, oil etc. from going to this land-locked country. In the meantime RAW agents fanned out among anti-monarchist elements and as the economic blockade took hold, riots broke out all over Nepal escalating into full fledged political confrontation between the monarchy and the electorate. Acts of terrorism, including the explosions of bombs, sabotage of installations, attacks on prominent personalities, etc. proliferated. Faced with the possibility of large-scale anarchy and even take-over by India on the Sri Lanka pattern, the King opted to become a constitutional monarch and a 'friendly' government came to power in Nepal. This was a blatant interference in the internal affairs of another nation, RAW was used as the terror weapon.

Burma has not escaped interference from India. Having a long border with India, Burma is bedevilled by independence movements that freely roam across international borders. Such cross border operations have meant that Burmese troops have been engaged on yet another front to secure the country's frontiers. There is concern in Bangladesh that RAW agents were behind the trouble in Arakan Province that has resulted in 250,000 Arakanese Muslim refugees crossing over to Bangladesh. Normally Burma and Bangladesh enjoy excellent relations but this refugee problem has become a sore point that has almost led to war between the two countries.

The paradise that once was Sri Lanka is a case of the full force of application of the so-called Indira Doctrine, that this whole region is an area of unrestricted Indian influence. The former Chief of RAW, Kao, was mandated by Indira Gandhi to repeat the Bangladesh story and bring the Sri Lankans into line. RAW was given a free hand to destabilise the island republic, a country so at peace with itself and its neighbours that it had a maximum of only two or three active military units (less than 5,000 men under arms). The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Ramachandra, gave his consent to RAW setting up Tamil rebel camps at Ganda and Gorakhpur. Tamils were trained to bring about an armed rebellion to carve a Tamil State out of the predominantly Sinhalese island. Of the many groups that RAW trained, the most deadly were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) led by Prabhakaran, which murderously targeted the other fellow ethnic Tamil Groups in addition to bringing unrestrained terror to the Sinhalese majority in the island. The full face of terrorism was unleashed in the cities with car bombs, assassinations etc. killing and maiming thousands before the Sri Lankan Armed Forces could re-organise themselves and assert the rule of the law. With their LTTE allies ultimately besieged in the North and North East, the Indians gave the Sri Lankans an ultimatum to stop their offensive and virtually at the point of gun signed the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord in 1987. Indian forces started landing in Sri Lanka as the Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF) to 'enforce' the peace even before the Accord was signed. This was Pax India-na at its most blatant. As often happens in a Client Patron relationship, the Tamil Tigers refused to fall into line with their Indian masters and the IPKF started to sustain heavy casualties from their former allies. The Indian Army blamed RAW for not providing accurate information about the former RAW proteges. The IPKF inadequacy in dealing with the LTTE became a debacle that forced the Indians to withdraw from Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan paradise that once was had now became Hell on Earth, the fighting between the now 3-4 division strength Sri Lanka Armed Forces (over 100,000 men under arms) and the Tamil Tigers goes bloodily on without quarter given or taken. As a revenge for having caused innumerable casualties and horrific damage, the Tamil tigers targeted the man who had mandated the IPKF to establish Pax-India-na in Sri Lanka, Rajiv Gandhi. In a classic Tamil Tiger operation, RAW trained operative assassinated Rajiv Gandhi, the blood cycle had come a complete circle. This is second time around that it had happened in the same family, the first being the gunning down of Rajiv's mother by Sikh Bodyguards in the wake of the storming of the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the killing of Bhindranewala and his close associates. Bhindranewala shot into fame from obscurity as a protege of late Sanjay Gandhi, Indira Gandhi's younger son, who mandated RAW to support his feud. As a sequel to Rajiv's assassination India closed down all camps and suspended the free movement of Tamils (now mostly supporter of LTTE) with India, one may well ask, if this is not an instance of an open display of export of State terrorism, what is? Unfortunately for India, the Tamils have plenty of sympathisers in Tamil Nadu and the problems persist, having come home to roost.

The Indian Ocean farce where 200 Tamil mercenaries from the Ealam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF - another creation of RAW) were employed to stage a coup against Maldives President Mamoon Abdul Gayoom is a case in point. President Gayoom was prompted to ask for Indian help for rescuing his government. Anybody with scant knowledge of aircraft, ships and logistics would have worked out that the Indian forces were dispatched to the rescue much before the coup was even attempted. A grateful Gayoom has given Indian forces a major foothold deep in the Indian Ocean, a solid landbased aircraft carrier for dominating the oceanic area figuring in the designs of India hegemony.

Pakistan figures promptly as a major RAW target, with special emphasis on the separatist Sindhu Desh movement. A wing of the Indian Special Services Bureau (SSB) has established terrorist camps across the border from Sindh in Rajasthan in eight major locations, Ganganagar, Jaipur, Udhampur, Kishangarh, Bikaner, Barmer, Jaiselmer and Gandhinagar. Services of Hindus who had migrated to India during 1971 and whose relatives are still living in Sindh are coordinated through a RAW cell located at Jaipur called the Sindhu Desh Department. With the exit of the active elements of the Al-Zulfikar Organisation (AZO) from Afghanistan and Libya, AZO has been taken over lock, stock and barrel by RAW. The same style of paid gunmen and bomb explosions as was witnessed in Sri Lanka has been duplicated in Sindh. The cooperation between the KGB, Khad and RAW to destabilize Pakistan, particularly Sindh during the decade-old Afghan war, is well documented and known to western intelligence agencies.

RAW emerges as the only presently functioning instrument of widescale application of State terrorism. This is no rogue operation planned by some idealistic nuts running wild, this is a deliberate implementation of the policy of the Indian Government to annex and occupy neighbouring countries or to browbeat them into accepting Indian hegemony. That RAW takes the initiative to sow anarchy and disorder puts it in a murderous class of its own.

Pakistan's main claim to fame with respect to being judged guilty of State terrorism is Kashmir, there is widescale speculation that the US may declare Pakistan a terrorist State because of supposedly ISI-organised camps organise guerrillas to cross into Indian occupied Kashmir. The ISI learnt most of its expertise from close collaboration with the CIA during the 80s decade Afghan war when Afghan Mujahideen were trained in guerilla warfare in camps in the border region to liberate Afghanistan from Soviet yoke. Given the fact of Kashmir's disputed status and Pakistani emotions, the ISI could well be using that knowledge for operations in Kashmir but the insurrection within Kashmir is mostly indigenous, the people's will being spontaneous does not need orchestration. The ISI and other Pakistani covert agencies are also accused of providing help to Sikh militants demanding a separate homeland. Most of the Sikh militants are ex-Indian Army personnel who mutinied after the Golden Temple was desecrated. Support to them by Pakistan may be more moral than material in the circumstances. Kashmir is another matter, it is freedom struggle and the ISI need not organise camps since Kashmiris on both sides of the border are committed to freedom from Indian tutelage and thus would be crossing the border without official sanction. Even if the sanction is denied, the borders will remain porous, in the circumstances imposing a clamp down would be next to impossible.

INTERNAL TERRORISM

Many people wrongly believe that RAW is used by India only for the purposes of the State's external policies. RAW has another more vicious role, to support the security forces within India to cow down its own population.


Many people in the outside world are not aware of the Hindu class system, almost 53% of the population are of the lowest class, the Untouchables. With about 17% Muslims and 3-4% Christians of various denomination, only about 25-27% of the population is really enfranchised. Most of the government jobs go to this minority with a sprinkling drawn from the majority for purposes of window dressing. The only government employment really open to the majority population are the menial jobs, even in the Armed Forces Untouchables, Muslims and Christians are few and far between. Control of the government at all levels and of the Armed Forces thus gives the Hindu minority upper class dictatorial authority over the rest of the population. When VP Singh was PM he tried to overcome this inequity by enforcing a Quota system, riots broke out all over the country, mostly fanned by the civil administration. In Delhi most of the protestors were government servants, this was repeated during the Babri Masjid riots in December showing BJP's hold. To sustain their rule, the ruling classes use RAW as a weapon to stamp down dissent, spread disinformation, political character assassination, hit squads to commit murder, etc. The amazing thing is that they got away with it despite the fact that the maximum amount of movements for independence are raging within India.

To start with is the grey area of Kashmir which is legally not a part of India but is under Indian subjugation. To fight the freedom movement, the Indians have adopted a three track policy. First they have shored up the present Indian administration, particularly the law enforcement agencies to maintain civil order. Since the local police forces have been hopelessly compromised, the Indians moved in large number of units from the Border Security Forces (BSF) and the Central Reserve Police (CRPF). To augment their strength at key points, at least 2 more complete mountain divisions have been moved in, one from Eastern Command and the other from Southern Command. Both these formations were part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka. In addition, Brigade sized independent formations as well as special commando units have been posted to Kashmir. While the BSF and CRPF were known for their penchant to resort to atrocities against non-combatants particularly old men, women and children, the commando units were trained by Israelis to combat the urban guerillas on the counter-Intifida pattern. Most infamous among these special units are the so-called Black Cats (they wear black uniform). The prime modus operandi is to surround a locality and line up all the men held in that swoop. Hooded men, who are obviously either informants or guerillas who have been tortured and thus forced to cooperate, are then brought to identify possible dissidents. Some of those that are held simply disappear, in most cases their bodies turn up after a few days. There is no sanctuary, churches and/or mosques are entered at will, in many cases there has been gun-battles on the premises. A form of ethnic cleansing is in process in Kashmir, the country is being rid of Muslim Kashmiris. There have been as many as 40,000 documented deaths in the last 2/3 years, over double that have crossed over the LoC to become a fresh wave of refugees in Azad Kashmir.

An innocent young painter shot dead while painting a wall by BSF and SOG in HabbaKadal Srinagar

Almost a similar modus operandi is followed in Khalistan (Indian Punjab). Operation Blue Star in 1984 aimed at getting the Sikh militants out of the Golden Temple at Amritsar. The Sikh leader Bhindranewala was a RAW creation, a discovery of the late Sanjay Gandhi who thought he could be built-up as antidote to the growing Sikh freedom movement. Unfortunately for India, while before Bhindranewala the Sikhs were for greater autonomy within India, after Blue Star the great majority now want an independent Khalistan. Like in Kashmir, the province is in a state of virtual internal siege and the guerilla attacks are matched by the State's law enforcement agencies in the context of terrorism. Like in Kashmir, draconian laws ensure that fundamental rights remain suspended.

Over the broad mass of Central India, extending to the South is the shadowy Naxalite movement. Originating in a village called Naxalbari in West Bengal in the late 60s, this is essentially a revolt of the downtrodden class against the injustice of the rich and ruling, particularly the landlord class and government functionaries. At the beginning the movement was not really terrorist-oriented but the reaction of the civil administration forced them to respond with vengeance, now it is all out war with the Naxalites beheading their targeted enemies. Naturally the Indian Government's response, both Federal and State, has been to fight fire with fire with only lip-service given to civil liberties.

In the South is the land of the Tamils. In the 60s and 70s there was a budding secessionist movement, however with Indian moves on Sri Lanka in support of the minority Tamils against the majority Sinhalese, this movement was stymied. During the 80s, RAW created many camps in Tamil Nadu for the Tamil guerilla movements. Most of the supplies to Tamil areas were ferried across the straits to Jaffna and other areas by RAW operatives. A time came when the Sri Lankan Tamils had virtually free run of the place. However, with the advent of the IPKF into Sri Lanka, the major Tamil group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE), led by Prabhaharan, revolted against Indian tutelage. RAW's proteges now became India's implacable enemies, the most bloody action was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in typical LTTE style with the help of a girl from the LTTE suicide squad, she blew herself up along with the former PM of India. The Indian reaction against the Sri Lankan Tamils in India has been predictable and has created a backlash among the South Indian Tamil population.

Most of India's budding secessionist movements are too small to be well documented but the Indian response has been bloody and brutal. Some of the movements that are of significance are:-

a. Gorkhaland

The areas around Darjeeling, just south of Nepal, is inhabited by a large number of Gorkhas who are fighting for their own homeland. There is an uneasy peace at the moment because the Indians have promised autonomy.


b. Bodoland

Just west of Darjeeling lies Meghalaya where Bodo tribals are fighting for their independence. This freedom struggle started with bows and arrows, it is now a full fledged guerilla movement.

c. ULFA

United Liberation Front of Assam envisages an independent Assam as the local inhabitants feel they have been colonized by the Indians. As usual, the Indians have met terror with terror, razing entire villages to the ground.

d. Nagaland

The Nagas have been fighting for their independence since almost 1947. The British had promised them an independent homeland for their active support against the Japanese in World War 2. After the emergence of Bangladesh, the mainly Christian Nagas lost their main supply base for some time and they came to terms with the Federal authorities. However the promises made by the Indians were never fulfilled and as Bangladesh fell out with India, the Naga logistics improved and the guerilla movement goes on in full swing.

e. Mizoram

Like the Nagas, the Mizos are mainly Christians and their guerilla movement has followed the same route. Laldenga, their leader, had to come to terms after the emergence of Bangladesh. He was brought to Delhi for peace negotiations and then incarcerated when the talks failed in utter violation of the immunity given to him. Today the movement for an independent Mizoram goes on.

f. Manipuris

One of the greatest shocks of 'democratic' India that awaited tea planters of West Pakistani origin who moved into India while escaping from East Pakistan in 1971 (and were incarcerated in Indian Jails) was to find Manipuri children in many jails of Tripura State, particularly Agartala Jail. Under the Maintenance of India Security Act (MISA), a large number of Manipuri children of Manipuri influentials were kept as hostages for their good behaviour. For a time after Bangladesh became a separate country, there was relative peace in Manipur as the guerilla movement lost its supply sanctuaries. It is now a war-torn country with Indian forces being attacked by Manipur guerillas in areas stretching from Manipur south to the Burmese border.

CONCLUSION

In the face of overwhelming evidence of Indian sponsored State terrorism directed against (1) its neighbours and (2) its own population for years, the USA is not likely to discriminate against Pakistan on the basis of the evidence at hand and the nature of the international dispute with respect to Kashmir, though restraint may well have been advised by the US through diplomatic channels. One may well ask, what is any Pakistani government to do, turn the other cheek and act deaf, dumb and blind while Kashmiris are increasingly subject to atrocities? In Kashmir today, if death, rape and torture has become endemic, it is mostly at the initiative of Indian forces. To be fair while one may accept that we may have cast a stone or two, in the face of the Indian barrage of terrorism against all its neighbours, one will expect that justice will not be denied. If the world community has any even-handed non-discriminatory yardstick for labelling any nation a terrorist State, India outstrips everyone else by a mile!

Photographic evidence :

The 8 year old innocent was killed by Indians during current protests in Kashmir

A group of Indian women shed their clothes and protest outside the Indian Army Assam Rifles anti-terrorism unit barracks in Imphal, Manipur.

GENOCIDE AGAINST MUSLIMS: The charred bodies of Muslim after the Hindus attacked, murdered and burned them in Gujarat in 2002. The fate of Mulsims in India

GENCIDE AGAINST MUSLIMS IN GUJRAT: The bodies of dozens of burned Muslims waiting for a mass burial lay in a Muslim graveyard in Ahmadabad India

A Hindu Fanatic group attacking Muslim citizens in India