Amnesty castigates JK Govt, 1224 KILLED IN FAKE ENCOUNTERS

‘Little Progress Made On 2010 Killings Probe’

Srinagar, May 13: Global human rights watchdog Amnesty International in its latest report has castigated the Jammu and Kashmir government for “little progress” in the inquiries ordered into the civilian killings which took place during 2010 unrest.

“An inquiry, instituted by the state authorities, covered 17 out of 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 report states.

“Between June and September (2010), 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 men, were injured,” the report added.

Referring to the ongoing turmoil in the Valley for past 2-decades, the report states, “Impunity for past violations in Kashmir, including the disappearance of thousands of people since 1989 during the armed conflict, continues.”

It stated that over thousand people were killed in ‘faked encounters’ in India between 1993 and 2008. “Recent data disclosed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India on people killed in clashes with the police between 1993 and 2008, showed 2,560 deaths.”

1224 KILLED IN FAKE ENCOUNTERS

“At least 1224 (deaths) occurred in faked encounters implying they were extra-judicial executions. By the end of the year, the NHRC had awarded compensation to the relatives of 16 victims,” the report mentions.

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