SSF’s National President, Parmjeet Singh Gazi, said: “It not is a naked truth that torture is widely and systematically practised by concerned Indian authorities in Kashmir and daily affairs of Indian forces in Kashmir are nothing less than international crime of “crime against humanity”.
He further added that the Sikhs in their homeland Punjab were subjected to similar techniques of brutal torture, at mass level, during 1980s-90s. Sikhs were killed in fake encounters, after subjecting them to inhumane torture, and were cremated as unidentified/unclaimed dead bodies. Various human rights bodies claim that number of persons so cremated rank more than twenty five thousand. All this has resulted in mass level abuse of human rights, claimed PS Gazi, who further claimed that inhumane and third degree torture continue to be daily affair in various police stations, especially CIA staffs of Punjab.
In a sharp reaction to India’s claim that it is a country “ruled by law” and all violations of human rights are addressed as per law in India; the SSF leader claimed: “Human Rights Commissions set up by India are white elephants, having no powers to stop human rights violations or punish the guilty”.

HRCs neither have any independent investigations agency, nor any powers to punish the culprits found guilty. They are vested merely with recommendatory powers. Moreover, given the situation of mass level abuse of human rights in India, independence and impartiality of such state organs is highly doubted.

The SSF leader insisted that international community should take initiative to investigations into reports of torture in Kashmir.

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Jaswant Singh Khalra (Shaheed), A Legendary Martyr of Human Rights

Jaswant Singh Khalra, had shocked the world in mid-90s by placing, before Parliament of Canada, the photo copies of cremation grounds record and other firm evidences of mass-level Human rights abuse committed by Indian State’s armed forced in Punjab. Khalra brought into light systematic practices of “Enforced Disappearances” and “extra-judicial killings” of Sikhs adopted by State’s armed forces in Punjab during 1980s-90s. The general practice adopted by Punjab police to burn the dead bodies of Sikhs killed illegally by showing them as “unclaimed and unidentified dead bodies” had further worsen the situation.

Talking about the objective behind releasing VCD SSF President has said that “One of the objectives of SSF is to secure respect and promotion of Human Rights and this is an effort in this direction.” It shall be distributed free of cost among students and is also available online, on SSF’s website, for downloading.

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Srinagar (June 30, 2010): As per a report of Kashmir Watch the entire valley continued to be tense on Wednesday, a day after three teenagers were killed in police firing in south Kashmir’s Anantnag District.

Curfew is still in place in most areas, including Sopore, Anantnag and Baramulla Districts including some areas of Srinagar city also.

According to Agence India Press city reporter authorities deployed hundreds of additional forces in volatile old city areas to thwart any demonstrations and processions.

Scores of paramilitary troopers and policemen have been deployed in Nowhata, Safakadal, Nawakadal, Zaina Kadal, Nawab Bazar and other adjoining areas of old city of Srinagar to impose restrictions.

Reports said that the troopers were not allowing anyone to come out of their houses.

Bilal Ahmad, a local resident of Zaina Kadal Said that we are not being even allowed to open the windows.

As I am father of 3 months old baby, I was suppose to get milk for her but, unfortunately they (Police) didn’t allow me to come out from my house even I request them, he said.

Troops and police have erected barricades at various entry and exit points.

However, restrictions in the civil line areas have been eased. A top police officer told Agence India Press that, we have made additional deployments only in volatile areas.

Meanwhile authorities brought under curfew more areas in south Kashmir, where three youths were killed when CRPF opened fire during clashes with protestors.

Due to overnight protests in many areas of south Kashmir, curfew was clamped in Bijbehara, Pahalgam, Kulgam and Pulwama districts this morning. Curfew is also being strictly enforced in Sopore, Baramulla, Anantnag and seven police stations areas of Srinagar, police said.

Restrictions under Section 144, which prohibit the assembly of over four persons, are in place in and around Srinagar and Baramulla Districts.

At least eight people have been killed in firing in the valley over the last five days.

Reports from Bandipora said that policemen who were deployed in strength in Ajjas town after seizing the newspaper copies threatened hawkers of dire consequences.

Police also seized the newspaper copies near Lathpora and didn’t allow the vehicle carrying newspapers copies to proceed south towards south Kashmir.

In many places of Srinagar city forces and police stop media persons, while they were pursuing their duties.  After harassed by security personnel city reporter of local newspaper said, that media and press is the cream of society and we thing that security personnel are not aware of it. These personnel are not educated and its very shame for us that those illiterate people harass journalists thousand times a day without any reason.

As usual in the morning, when I left for the office around 9:00 AM (IST) security personnel stopped me and ask for curfew pass, but eventually no curfew was imposed in our area, he said.

In Handwara, protesters attacked the house of senior National Conference leader Sharief-ud-din Sharik at Handwara in north Kashmir on Wednesday, police sources said.

“Protesters throw stones at Sharik’s house and tried to barge into it. However, policemen deployed there chased them away,” sources added.

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Amritsar (June 21, 2010): Condemning the security establishment for spilling blood of innocent Kashmiris on the streets of Srinagar and elsewhere, the Dal Khalsa said the Indian state was suffering from ‘arrogance of power’.

In a statement party head Harchranjit Singh said the Indian security establishment was treating Kashmiris virtually as enemies, like it treated Sikhs in late 80’s and early 90’s in Punjab.

He said the situation in Kashmir had worsened further on Sunday with the killings of Muhammad Rafiq Bangroo and Javaid Ahmad Malla by security forces.

Notably, 3 teenagers including Tufail Ahmad Mattoo (who was hit by teargas shell) have been killed by the security forces in the last 7 days.

He said the armed forces continue to kill innocent youth unabatedly and unabashedly.  “Killings of innocent civilians have become order of the day. Wailing Kashmiri mothers and sisters mourn the acts of the Indian army almost every day and the images are seen in the print media and in sections of the satellite television medium”.

It’s ironic that the international community including the United Nations was totally ignoring the pain and sufferings of all these Kashmiri families, he observed.

Taking a dig at chief minister Mr. Omar Abdullah, he said expressing mere sorrow and grief over the loss of human lives would not heal the wounds of the aggrieved families.

Party’s spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh said “Kashmir has been turned into a prison. Even peaceful demonstrations are quelled with force. Civil administration was virtually non-existent and whatever is there is subservient to the Indian security forces”.

The Sikh body urged the United Nations to ensure that fundamental rights of the people are protected and India was effectively made accountable to various international forums.

Commenting on the possible move by the Union government to soften AFSPA, he said the draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, due to which troopers operating in Jammu and Kashmir enjoy impunity, should be revoked forthwith to ensure security of civilians.

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Amritsar (July 18, 2010):  Expressing solidarity with the family members of innocent youth Tufail Ahmad Mattoo killed in police action last week, the DAL KHALSA said the civil administration in Kashmir was virtually non-existent and whatever is there is subservient to the Indian security forces.

In a press statement party spokesperson Mr Kanwar Pal Singh condemned the Indian security forces for their brutalities and human rights violations including the killing of teenager Tufail Ahmad Mattoo. He said the armed forces continue to violate all Supreme Court directives, guidelines of the National Human Rights Commission and Geneva conventions to be followed in the event of an armed conflict.

Taking a dig at the Union government and their blue-eyed boy chief minister Mr. Omar Abdullah, he said political authority was totally under the jackboots of the army and the bureaucratic policy makers in Delhi who have abrogated to themselves the right to decide the fate of the people of Kashmir.

He said that government had imposed severe restrictions on the pro-freedom leaders and they were being denied the political space. “Kashmir has been turned into a prison. Even peaceful demonstrations are quelled with force,” he added.

“The struggle for right to self determination of Kashmiri people is justified where as presence of lakhs of troopers is unjustified,” he said. “The draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, due to which troopers operating in Jammu and Kashmir enjoy impunity, should be revoked forthwith to ensure security of civilians,” said he. He reiterated that countries like US and China that were considered to be world’s major powers could play an effective role in resolving the Kashmir dispute.

The Dal Khalsa leader prayed for speedy recovery of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who is admitted in the S K Institute of Medical Sciences at Soura following complaint of chest pain. “We wish him (Geelani Sahib) good health so that he could carry on with his mission to its logical conclusion”.

He said that Indian state was suffering from arrogance of power. The repeated offers of talks by GOI were meant to hoodwink the international community and create divisions amongst Kashmiri groups, he observed.

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The communication, sent to the trooper based in Siar village, 25 km from Punjab’s industrial city of Ludhiana, accused him of not only working with “a unit engaged in systematic attacks on civilians” but also of not providing any evidence in his visa application “disassociating” himself from the force.

Pandher, 60, who retired 10 years ago, told IANS: “By writing such things to me to reject my visa, the Canadian High Commission has not attacked me but this is an attack on my country and my force.

“They accused me of being a member of the BSF in a way that sounded as if I had committed some sin. Even in the interview in April 2009, I was asked irrelevant questions about the BSF. They even accused the BSF of targeting a particular community for attacks and rapes.”

An upset Pandher said that he told the Canadian diplomat that the BSF never committed atrocities on innocent people and did not target any particular community since the force itself had people from all religions.

“But the official refused to agree with any of my comments,” Pandher told IANS. A ministry of external affairs spokesperson in New Delhi said that “the matter has come to our attention. It has been taken up appropriately”.

According to Pandher, he had applied for an immigration visa in 2005 and had completed all the paperwork. His medical tests were done in 2008 and he was called for a personal interview in April 2009.

“On Dec 8, 2009, I was sent this letter from the high commission in New Delhi levelling allegations against the BSF,” Pandher, whose daughter is settled in Edmonton town in Canada, said.

The BSF, a paramilitary force for guarding India’s borders, has been stationed in the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir state for a number of years.

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“The bombing took place after the MNF led by the late Laldenga declared independence from India and is observed as ‘Zoram Ni’ (Mizoram Day) on this day by the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP) or Mizo Students Federation.” says a PTI report.

“The Prime Minister and the Union Government must tender a public apology for what the Indian Air Force and the army did to the innocent civilians in Mizoram in 1966, chairman of the North East Students Organisation (NESO), Samujal Bhattacharyya said at a function here.

Bhattacharyya pointed out that the Prime Minister had apologised to the Sikh community on behalf of the Government in the Rajya Sabha in 2005 for launching Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984.

“If the Prime Minister, elected from the North East can apologise to his own community on the action of the army in 1984, he and the Union Government must apologise to the people of Mizoram for the atrocities committed by the Centre in 1966,” he said. Bhattacharyya rued that no words of regret from the government had come even after 44 years.

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Commandant RK Birdi, posted at Nishat, was suspended for not reporting the incident to the higher authorities in time and for lack of command over his troops. “Sources revealed that the suspension orders had come yesterday, two days after BSF Director General PPS Sidhu had admitted the possible involvement of Constable Lakhwinder Singh. He has already been suspended and handed over to the police.” Says a TNS report.

Stop Innocent Killings in Kashmir

The investigation team is also questioning 15-odd BSF personnel accompanying the accused at the time of the incident. “As and when their presence is required by the police in connection with the investigations, they are being produced,” a BSF officer said. The killing of 16-year-old Zahid Farooq in Srinagar, five days after another teen – Wamiq Farooq – was shot dead in the downtown area, triggered massive protests in Kashmir, prompting Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to order an inquiry by the Divisional Commissioner. Shah was killed on February five at Brain near Nishat on the banks of the Dal Lake and according to the eyewitnesses there was an altercation following which the shooting incident took place.

PTI adds that fourteen other men of the 68th Battalion have also been suspended. Commandant RK Birdi has been confined to the local headquarters.

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The BSF earlier this week admitted that one its men, Constable Lakhvinder Kumar of 68 battalion was involved in Zahid’s killing and handed him over to JK Police for further investigations.

However, a New Delhi based news channel NDTV on Friday said, “The BSF Commandant R K Birdi forced Constable Lakhvinder Kumar to shoot thrice at Zahid.”

“The accused constable has claimed before the police that he was forced by his senior to shoot the teenager,” the wire agency PTI reported.

It said the claim made by the BSF trooper was being corroborated and some of its officials, including Commandant, R K Birdi, may be questioned.

The police have registered a case of murder but their real investigation, according to the sources, is focused on whether the constable fired on his own, or took orders from his commandant. “The Commanding Officer of the 68th Battalion of the BSF concealed the incident for five days until an internal probe was ordered due to relentless protests and Union home Ministry’s directive to cooperate with the JK police.”

The Special Director General of BSF, PPS Sidhu, while addressing the media here earlier this week had admitted that BSF had no information about the involvement of their men till the inquiry was ordered.

The BSF initially denied any role in the killing, but were forced to admit what happened under pressure from Home Minister P Chidambaram and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Pertinently, on February 5, Zahid and his friends were on their way home after their cricket game in Nishat area was rained out. They came across three BSF vehicles, which stopped near them. Troopers got down and fired three direct shots towards the teenagers killing Zahid on the spot.

After the BSF admitted that one of its constables killed Zahid, his family did not agree. It accused the BSF of making the constable a scapegoat to save a senior officer.

“We are not satisfied with the arrest of the constable as eye-witnesses told us that an officer of the force actually shot Zahid in the chest after snatching the rifle from one of his subordinates,” victim’s father, Farooq Ahmad had said.

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