‘Omar patronising forces behind killing’
International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Indian-Administered Kashmir (IPTK), a pressure group, on Tuesday accused the both the Centre and chief minister Omar Abdullah of patronising the security forces involved in the killing of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
A statement signed by Dr Angana Chatterji, Convener IPTK and Professor, Anthropology, California Institute of Integral Studies, and her colleagues — Parvez Imroz, Gautam Navlakha, Zahir-Ud-Din, Mihir Desai and Khurram Parvez — alleged the human rights violations in Kashmir are “a means of maintaining military governance.” It said the Omar Abdullah government has repeatedly promised “zero tolerance” for human rights violations but what is being seen on the ground is zero tolerance for non-violent civil society dissent, as security forces “brutalise” people on the streets chanting “Go India, Go back” and “India, Quit Kashmir.”
It further said that the CM stated on June 24 that separatist and pro-freedom leaders were instigating youth to violence, following which security forces ensued repression on political leaders calling for peaceful protests.
“Crowds marching to Sopore on June 28 to protest and mourn the death of three youth killed by the paramilitary forces were met with force. Police used tear gas and opened fire on the protesters and journalists, killing one person. In Delina, a nine-year boy was killed by security forces.”
The statement said the condoning and rationalising the deplorable actions of the CRPF and police, the home secretary of India, G.K. Pillai, characterised civilians fired upon by security personnel as people who were culpable as they violated curfew and attacked police posts.
“This further evidences the patronage that the security forces enjoy from highly placed government officials, and emphasises the state’s view that civil society resistance to militaristic governance is criminal behaviour.”
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