Kashmir: After Two Years of Aug 5, 2019

Introduction

Two years after the military lockdown and loss of statehood, special status and division of the state, arbitrary detentions continue, public assembly is still prohibited under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (CrPC), and close to 1,000 people are still in prison, including minors and elected legislators. industries still reel under the dual impact of the lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic and as for the tourism sector that while it showed signs of recovery earlier in 2021, the second wave again halted recovery. Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, too, continued its sharp decline, with several industries forced into bankruptcy. The numerous human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir under the five broad heads of civilian security, health, children and youth, industry, and media has still been going on. the security situation has only “worsened” with figures for fatalities being much higher than those between 2012-2016.1 India may appear as a democracy to outsiders, but to those whose kin are spent as fuel for the dirty war in Kashmir, it only appears as one thing: A ruthless empire. As Kashmir completes its second year of lockdown, the people most affected have been daily wage workers, who eat food only when they earn every day. The Jammu and Kashmir administration continues to oppose bail and stifle dissent on increasingly bizarre grounds, such as the arrest of a political activist for saying he preferred local officers to outsiders. Following the reading down of Article 370 and reorganisation of the state, children, youth and women have been affected in a particularly severe way. The schools have functioned for barely 250 days between August 2019 and July 2021, due to repeated lockdowns. The limits on Internet speeds made it impossible for online classes to function adequately. Journalists have been harassed, assaulted and charged under the UAPA and recent security directions bar journalists from being present near counter-insurgency operations, removing scrutiny of potential human rights violations. the new policy of recruiting cyber volunteers has further added to the threat of both censorship and intimidation. On the repercussion of such censorship, a media gag on health workers has allowed rumours of the adverse impact of vaccines to spread unchecked.2

https://thewire.in/rights/article-370-two-years-read-down-rights-violations-continue-jk-rights-forum 2 Ibid

Human Rights Violations in IIOJK (July 2021)

Total Killings *	37
Custodial Killings	8
Tortured/Injured	28
Civilian arrested	57
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed	10
Women Widowed	2
Children Orphaned	7
Women gang-raped / Molested	1

Human Rights Violation in IIOJK Since Aug 5, 2021

Total Killings *	410
Custodial Killings	59
Tortured/Injured	2046
Civilian arrested	14997
Arson (Houses etc)	1030
Women Widowed	22
Children Orphaned	56
Women disgraced / Molested	115

Extrajudicial Killings

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act continued to provide effective immunity from prosecution to security forces, even for serious human rights abuses. In July, security forces killed three people in Shopian district, claiming they were militants. However, in August, their families, who identified them from photographs of the killings circulated on social media, said they were laborers. In September, the army said that its inquiry had found prima facie evidence that its troops exceeded powers under the AFSPA and it would take disciplinary proceedings against those answerable. The Indian occupation army has killed over 410 Kashmiris since Aug 5, 20109 in fake encounters and custodial killings and injured 2046 Kashmiris in the name of so-called security operations against the innocent Kashmiri civilians.3 India has long relied on military force to retain control over Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir. Hundreds of thousands of Indian troops are stationed in IIOJK and maintain checkpoints throughout Indianoccupied territory. Indian crackdowns have killed tens of thousands of innocent civilians in IIOJK. India has rejected every request since 1989 to prosecute Indian soldiers in civilian courts in Kashmir for alleged rights abuses including murder, illegal detention and rape. In 2000, the Indian army killed five men it alleged were militants responsible for the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir. An investigation later found the five were local villagers killed in a faked firefight.
In 2010, an investigation found Indian soldiers had killed three civilians in a staged gunbattle and then said the victims were militants in order to claim a reward for killing them. There is both precedent and pattern to this. On Dec 30, 2020, Indian army killed a laborer and 2 students who had gone to submit their university forms, however, the army denies any wrongdoing.

Rise in UAPA cases after Aug 5, 2019

“UAPA is like the Nuremberg laws of the Nazis, albeit advanced under the veneer of democracy:” Kashmiri Journalist

According to estimates, police have booked 2,364 people under UAPA since 2019 and nearly half of them are still languishing in jail inside and outside the Valley.

out of the total 2,364 people arrested under UAPA, 918 were held in 437 cases in 2019, 953 people in 557 cases in 2020, and 493 in 257 cases till July- end this year (249 cases in Kashmir, 26 in Jammu). Among these, 1,100 continue to remain in custody. In the first 30 days after the abrogation of the special status on 5 August 2019, at least 290 people were booked under PSA among which 250 people booked under this law were from Kashmir. After Abrogation of Article 370 BJP revised the law, giving impunity to the state to designate an individual as a terrorist. The revised law is so harsh and vague that several opposition political parties, retired police officers and formers judges have expressed concern over its “draconian” provisions and consistently asserted that the law is susceptible to misuse As the law has been rampantly used in Kashmir over the last couple of years, especially after the BJP J&K’s abrogated special status, critics say, it has more insidious effects on people and its fear leads them to become more conformist. The widespread use of the law has coerced journalists to self-censor themselves, pressurised dissidents to stay dormant out of fear and pressed social media users to become mute spectators. 5

Illegal Detentions

The government continued to impose harsh and discriminatory restrictions on Muslimmajority areas in Jammu and Kashmir since revoking the state’s constitutional status in August 2019 and splitting it into two federally governed territories. Hundreds of people remained detained without charge in Jammu and Kashmir under the draconian Public Safety Act, which permits detention without trial for up to two years. “This was purely a religious procession, but they still stopped us. Many people were detained. I managed to escape,” Arshad Hussain Dar, a youth from Srinagar. According to police sources, around 100 people have been detained. Police physically assaulted several journalists and told them not to cover the event. Sajad Hameed, a photojournalist from Kashmir, says “I asked a police officer not to abuse us or use force, but they smashed my camera with batons. I have injuries on my legs and back. They hurled expletives at us.” Two other journalists, Waseem Andrabi and Burhan Bhat, were also beaten up by police.6

New Media Policy and Communication Blockade

In June, the government announced a new media policy in Jammu and Kashmir that empowers the authorities to decide what is “fake news, plagiarism and unethical or antinational activities” and to take punitive action against media outlets, journalists, and editors. The policy contains vague and overbroad provisions that are open to abuse and could unnecessarily restrict and penalize legally protected speech. The government also clamped down on critics, journalists, and human rights activists. The restrictions, including on access to communications networks, since August 2019 adversely affected livelihoods, particularly in the tourism-dependent Kashmir Valley.7 The pandemic made access to the internet crucial for information, communication, education, and business. However, even after the Supreme Court said in January that access to the internet was a fundamental right, authorities permitted only slow-speed 2G mobile internet services, leading doctors to complain that the lack of internet was hurting the Covid-19 response

Economic Slump

Perhaps the worst impact of the 2019 decision has been on the region’s economy, which traders and industrialists has collapsed, with thousands of job losses and rising unemployment. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries estimated that the first three months of the lockdown to prevent protests since August 2019 cost the economy over US$2.4 billion, for which no redress was provided. Losses nearly doubled since the government imposed further restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020. 8 According to Sheikh Ashiq, the president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry that the region’s economy has suffered losses worth almost $2.5 billion for 2019, and the number staggered to almost $5.1 billion in 2020. The estimates for 2021 stand at almost $7.2 billion.

It is reported that at least 500,000 Kashmiris have lost their jobs since 2019, including nearly 60,000 employed in the flagship tourism and horticulture sectors. With the existing economy of the region on the verge of collapse, local businesses are not hopeful of new investments in the region. Besides, New Delhi has also thrown open other gates for the outsiders to settle in the region. Jobs earlier reserved for permanent residents of the region are now open to domicile certificate holders. Moreover, in another disturbing trend, at least 11 government employees have been terminated from their jobs for “being a threat to the state”. According to local political analyst Sheikh Showkat Hussain the moves have created a fear of dispossession and loss of rights over jobs and land, all the apprehensions people had about the status quo have proved true. They were apprehensive that if the status quo continues, they will be outnumbered by those who come from Indian states and they will be dispossessed of their land and identity. All of this has come true.

Nisar Ahmad 36, a technician by profession, earned Rs 30,000–35,000 ($400-470) a month. He is a farmer too. “The communication gag was a big problem for me as I used to install and repair mobile phones with software and I needed the internet constantly for that,” he said. (Mumin Gul / TRTWorld)

Tourism Industry

In the year 2021, the arrival of tourists to the valley showed a sign of hope to the tourism department but due to the outbreak of the second wave of coronavirus, it once again put a halt on the arrivals as the tourism industry suffered over a loss of more than 150 crores in the year 2020, first due to the lockdown aftermath of abrogation and now the pandemic. The tourist industry gives livelihood to around 32,000 people. In 2021, according to the Centre for Monitoring for Indian Economy (CMIE), there is a decline in the employment rates in JK, the region stood at 21.9, which is pertinently the “highest unemployment rate”.

Health Issues

Mental health experts and teachers report that the lockdowns have also exacerbated preexisting physical and mental health problems, causing trauma that could take generations to heal. Nearly 1.8 million adults (45 percent of the adult population) in the Kashmir Valley are experiencing symptoms of mental distress. Daily wage earners practically lost their one source of income due to the siege. Street venders, cobblers, drivers - how did they manage to survive? Some of them spent their savings, some took loans, others survived on the help that came their way. Under immense mental and financial stress, these people have been neglected and their stories have not been told.

Mohammad Altaf, 48, is a 3rd generation dyer from Khanyar, Srinagar. He laments about the past two years, saying: “They will make us jump in river Jhelum and kill ourselves”. Altaf is under extreme stress as his debt is increasing, he has worked for only 25 days in the last two years, forced to sell his possessions and jewelry belonging to his wife to sustain his family of seven. (Mumin Gul / TRTWorld)..

Kashmiri youth are resorting to drug use to cope with uncertainty, trauma, and anxiety arising from daily conflicts and surges in the use of heroin and cocaine have been observed. Polysubstance use with mental distress poses a great challenge for health care providers and an immediate need for preventive, curative, and rehabilitative strategies is required. These current public health issues in Kashmir are deeply rooted and reflect the socio-political problems the valley has long endured. The Indian government violates many human rights through its repressive administration over Kashmir and these have been criticised by local and international bodies. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive response that addresses the political, social, economic, and public health challenges Kashmir faces.

Dr. Majid Shafi, a clinical psychiatrist who treats children and adolescents in the central and southern districts of Kashmir said restrictions on children, who are confined to their homes for long periods during extended lockdowns, has adversely affected their physical, emotional, and cognitive health. “Almost every parent of kids and teenagers in Kashmir is complaining these days about increased behavioral issues in their children,” said Dr. Shafi, adding that he had seen an “appreciable increase” in symptoms such as a feeling of hopelessness, anxiety, mood disorders, and a decline in academic performance. Isha Malik, a clinical psychologist at a government-run children’s hospital in Srinagar, said the months-long suspension of phone and internet connectivity had severely hampered delivery of mental health-care services. As a consequence, she said, many of her patients had relapsed or seen their symptoms worsen.11

Justice Eludes Parents in IndianOccupied Kashmir

On eve of Global Parents Day, Kashmiri mother recalls fight to seek justice for her son killed in police custody

Coinciding Global Day of Parents being observed on June 01, 2021, Farida Qayoom, a mother in the Indian -occupied Kashmir remembers her son, who was killed by security forces in custody in 2010. Living in a modest house on the northern side of the capital Srinagar along with his husband and three daughters, she alleges that her only son Umar Qayoom was thrashed and tortured by government forces leading to his death. For now, the Qayoom family has been waiting for justice over the past 11 years. It took them seven years to get a formal complaint registered against the security personnel accused of the “torturous killing”. But the trial in the case is yet to begin.

“I am waiting for justice in my son’s case and I hope someday it will be delivered to us,” Farida said.

Two years after Umar’s death a one-man inquiry commission led by a retired judge Makhan Lal Koul concluded that he had died out of torture in police custody. The retired judge recommended the filing of the case against police officers. Although the case was filed in 2017, there is no headway to proceed against the culprits. As many as 120 youths were killed in Kashmir in 2010 when protests raged against a staged encounter

According to Umer’s mother "It was Friday, Aug. 20, 2010, and during the month of Ramadan, my son had gone to offer prayers. But before he could return home, there was tear gas shelling and gunfire near our home. I was praying for the safety of my son. But prayers went in vain,” According to Umer’s father “we were told that Umar has been detained. Abdul Qayoom Bhat, the father of the teenager rushed to the local police station to see his son. He was assaulted. Blood was seeping from his body. I cried and pleaded before the police officials but they did not listen. They threatened to put me also behind the bars. Umar was released after some time, but he was bruised. In a week, despite care, he succumbed to his injuries. It was diagnosed that his vital organs had been damaged during police custody.” A 2018 report by the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society -- a human rights group operating in the region -- stated that around 318 children in the age group 1-17 were killed from 2003-2017 in different forms of violence in the region.

Her sons, husband are in jail. House now haunts a 70-year-old woman

“My sons were flying birds. They were not meant to be in jails. This was the time for them to play.” Zoona Begum.

The newly coated metal dishes are readied and kept aside in the room of Zoona Begum. She is hopeful that one day, she will serve her sons and husband — detained at Central Jail in the capital for the last two years — in them.On 28 June 2019, the trio of the Khan family, Bashir Ahmad Khan along with his two sons, 28-year-old Muzaffar Ahmad Khan and 26-year-old Mudasir Ahmad Khan were detained by the police after a gunfight in their locality in central Kashmir’s Budgam, Kanipora. As per the new policy of the government forces, the owner of the house is often charged too where the gunfight takes place. The police have claimed that the militant was hiding in Khans’ house and a case was registered against Bashir. However, family denied the allegations of the police. The first hearing in the trio’s case was recorded in January 2020. Until now, twenty-two hearings have been recorded.

The small dreams of Begum that her sons spend a blissful life remain unfulfilled. “I just want to keep them close to my heart like a mother keeps her newborn babies.” The adjacent rooms of the two brothers on the second floor are now lifeless. Inside Mudasir’s small uncolored room, a small mirror and a comb are kept on the shelf along with a decorative flower piece. Although the room looked clean; the curtain holder that broke when the government forces barged into the house remained unfixed. The elder son’s room looked somewhat similar. A dressing table with deodorant and a bottle of Ittar organized on it, lies in the left corner of the room. On the right side, a belt was hanging on the wall. Begum has stopped going to either of the rooms ever since their detention. “I would smell my children in the rooms and it would break my heart to pieces. So, I stopped going,”.

Although it is difficult to come out of a “suppressor’s cage”, Begum said that she is still hopeful that her sons will get justice and that they will come back home soon. “Every morning I wake up and I see my house burning,” she said, adding that she has only one wish: to see both of her sons getting freed and to hug them tight. “I can die peacefully after that,” she sighed.

Srinagar Family Theft by
“UNIFORMED MEN

On July 09, 2021, a family from Hokersar-Shikargah area of Srinagar outskirts alleged theft of gold worth lakhs of rupees, cash and pashmina shawls during the nocturnal raid on 7 and 8 July by the “men in uniform.”

The family members, women, girls and elderly, staged a protest at press colony Srinagar said that at 1:40 am on 7 July, men wearing army uniform, holding guns in their hands, knocked the door of their house on the pretext of carrying out the search.

“We were deep in sleep as it was dead of the night. They knocked the doors repeatedly and when my uncle opened the main door, they told us not to be afraid as the cordon has been laid outside and they were just to carry out searches, they snatched our mobile phones and went upstairs. They sought keys to open our lockers and cupboards and wardrobes. They asked us not to make noise, we tried to resist and then they told us since there was an encounter in the area recently, they had to carry out searches” said Khushi, a family member, whose house has been looted.

Khushi further states that “when the family members went upstairs after the men in uniform left their house, they found all gold items worth lakhs of rupees, cash and Pashmina shawls were missing from the cupboards. We approached the concerned police station where we were told come at 10 am. We have lodged a complaint there, but nothing has happened.”

His 3-year-old Daughter wants to see Him

Saba Bano from Srinagar on July 10, 2021 held a protest in the city here urging that her husband, imprisoned in a jail in Udhampur district, be shifted closer to home. Bano said she has not been able to meet her husband, Irfan Ahmad Mir, for the last three years, since he was arrested and shifted to Udhampur, nearly 250 kilometers from Srinagar.

“I have no resources to bear the travel expenses to Udhampur as I have been disowned by my in-laws and my parents are not able to help me, I have not been able to even bear the expenses on milk feeding of our daughter” Saba Bano.

Bano has also not been able to plead the case of her husband as she struggles with the lack of financial support. She said that Mir was working as a labour and she had no idea why he has been jailed. She said that she has been facing desperate financial issues since her husband was jailed.

AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT

For Ghulam Mohammad Akhoon and his wife, the time has perhaps frozen. They have spent mornings and evenings, for five years, waiting for a dead son to return home.

Junaid, Akhoon’s 12-year-old son, was killed by the government forces in October 2016 at the door of his house in Srinagar’s Saidapora neighbourhood and since then, Gul said, silence has taken over her home. Junaid was one of the youngest amongst the 145 civilians killed by the government forces during the civilian uprising of 2016 that erupted on the evening of 8 July 2016 after killing of Burhan Wani.

It was a Friday afternoon — the ninety-second day of the protest — and the streets had been stormed with protesters throwing stones at the government forces. Around 3 in the afternoon, the Akhoon family came out to bid goodbye to a guest. Junaid also came out to play in the lawn of the house in a far-off corner of Saidapora. As the gate of their house opened, the government forces on the end of the narrow lane fired pellet shotguns. “Suddenly, Junaid fell down. Mother thought that he was scared,” Gul recalled. His mother kept reassuring Junaid that he didn’t need to be scared till she saw blood oozing out of his ears and small piercings on his face. Junaid was immediately picked up by his uncle and rushed outside with a hope to get him to the hospital in time. The doctor said that there were serious injuries in the brain and hemorrhages as the pellets had hit his face, brain and thoracic area. Around 6 in the morning Junaid’s family brought his dead body home. Recently, Gul saw her little brother in her dream. He was walking on the Eidgah road and she held his hand. “I told him that I miss him a lot,” said Gul, as she wiped off her tears. “I requested him to not leave me again.”

‘IT IS EXHAUSTING’

FIGHTS OF THE ONLY PSYCHIATRIST IN PULWAMA, SHOPIAN

At the District Mental Health Centre, Majid has been seeing patients since 2015. In the past five and a half years, however, he largely fought a lonely battle amid the worsening mental health crisis in Kashmir following a near two-year long lockdown. In Kashmir, three decades of conflict has created a drastic surge in the mental health diseases among the people. After back to back lockdowns — from the August 2019 clampdown to the Covid-19 lockdown — the mental health experts sound an alarm regarding the emerging crisis.

A survey conducted by an international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from October to December 2015 found that 45 percent of Kashmir’s adult population — 1.8 million people — was suffering from some form of mental distress. There is a high prevalence of depression (41 percent), anxiety (26 percent), post-traumatic stress disorder (19 percent), and 47 percent had experienced some sort of trauma.

As Kashmir has witnessed multiple conflicts over the past two decades leading to increase in various psychiatric disorders and south Kashmir is no exception to it. During this period there have been violent and traumatic situations, resulting in deaths of thousands of people and its aftermath which leads to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

After five hours of continuous sessions, Majid was exhausted. He got up from the chair, stretched himself and took a five-minute tea break. Sometimes, he said, they don’t even have a lunch break because of the number of patients, he is scared that his patients might die if he does not give his 100 percent.

“There are suicidal patients, where will they go? I will feel guilty about it.”

He said that it gets difficult at times to listen to the stories of the patient and not get affected by them. The narration of their ordeal, how they are affected in their lives by various things happening around them. “We are humans after all. I try to take it as a job. I try to not take these stories to my home but it is not possible every time,” he said

“LACK OF BED FOR PATIENT” at SMHS creates ruckus

The patient Bilal Ahmad as per hospital documents was admitted for a short stay at the hospital. He was suffering from gastrointestinal illness. The non availablity of the bed for the patient led to heated argument between the attendants of the patient and hospital staff.

“We have been wandering here and there to find a bed for the patient but the hospital administration is not providing us a bed for the stay of the patient,” said Mohd Sarwar Bhat who was holding the patient on wheelchair in the corridor of the hospital.

“A doctor at the medical emergency ward told us that they are not responsible for making beds available, go and ask the Chief Medical officer (CMO)” The short stay card is meant for admission to a short stay ward for targeted care of patients who require brief hospitalization and are discharged as soon as clinical conditions are resolved. Bhat said that they approached CMO in this regard but got no help.

“A doctor at the medical emergency ward told us that they are not responsible for making beds available, go and ask the Chief Medical officer (CMO)''

” The short stay card is meant for admission to a short stay ward for targeted care of patients who require brief hospitalization and are discharged as soon as clinical conditions are resolved.

Bhat said that they approached CMO in this regard but got no help.

“AAP BA’IZZAT BARI HO GAYE”
( you are honourably acquitted )

AFTER 11 YEARS IN JAIL UNDER UAPA, AN INNOCENT MAN WALKS HOME

Eleven years of imprisonment in Vadodara, where summers are brutish and temperatures soar beyond 40 degrees Celsius, Baba had longed for the pleasant weather of Kashmir. On 23 June, he said his wait finally came to an end. When he reached home, the Rainawari neighbourhood in Srinagar’s old city, where he had spent 32 years of his early life, had changed. The new lines of shops had emerged; the crowd was different; he hardly recognized any face. His mother had lost weight and grown frail; his home was painted with a new color and a different interior. “My sisters got married during this time and their children didn’t recognize me,” Baba said. Amended by the Congress government in 2004, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has been increasingly used in the last decade to target the marginalised communities in India, especially Muslims. Baba is among several Kashmiri men who spent their youth incarcerated in different jails of India for charges that were never proven before they were acquitted years, or decades, later. Over a year later Baba’s detention, his father was diagnosed with cancer and had subsequently died in 2017.

“I was too lonely there and had nobody to share my feelings with. My heart was not into anything. I would feel like the walls of the jail cell were absorbing me. I felt my legs were broken because of the news [of father’s demise].”

A day after returning home, Baba went to his father’s grave in Srinagar to offer prayer. The regret of not being with his father during the last moments lingers on. “My father needed his son at that moment and I wasn’t there,” he said. “A family that was running smoothly, and was on track, got ruined.”

Military Operations rendering people Homeless, Hopeless in Kashmir

The destruction of houses during military operations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir is rendering people homeless and hopeless in the disputed, strife-torn region.

“We possess nothing now. Our shelters were razed to the ground within a blink of an eye for which we took years to build. We were robbed emotionally, physically and mentally. Even our source of income was lost too,” said one of the affected family members, wishing not to be named.
Bashir Ahmad (name changed) said that post-encounter they are living in a single room of an old house of a neighbor, and so is another family.

“It is very hard to live in a single room where all of us have to sleep, dine and cook," another member of an affected family said, adding that the new accommodation they are putting up in doesn't have a washroom, forcing them to attend nature's call in the open.

These homeless families said they have no means to build new houses due to the lack of resources. Their bank accounts were frozen by the authorities after being shared by people on social media. Geneva Convention of 1949, to which India is a signatory, discourages the use of disproportionate force in armed conflicts.

Experts believe the use of disproportionate force in the Kashmir region during military operations is costing too much to the local population.

Noori Banoo one of victims says her razed house was worth a million built by her businessman husband who died in the 1990s.

“I had cherished so many dreams there and I wish that I die at the same place,” Banoo said.

Killings Cases in IOK

Case # 1

Victim Name: Mohammad Amin Malik

Age: 37

Resident of: Machama village of Tral in south Kashmir, Pulwama

Place of Incident:

Agency Involved: Police

Date of Incident: June 3, 2021

Testimony: On the night of 3 June, Mohammad Amin Malik, a 37-year-old resident of Machama village of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district was killed at police component complex Tral. Mohammad Amin Malik was taken for questioning during a fake search operation in Pulwama district, 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Srinagar, the capital city of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, before being shot dead by police.

Case # 2

Victim Names:

1. Manzoor Ahmad Shallah

2. Bashir Ahmad

Resident of: Sopore

Place of Incident: Baramulla’s Sopore town

Agency Involved: A joint team of Police, army and CRPF

Date of Incident: June 12, 2021

Testimony: On June 12, 2021, Manzoor Ahmad Shallah and Bashir Ahmad were killed in a fake encounter by police in the main market in Baramulla’s Sopore town. The government forces had cordoned off the area and launched a fake search operation after killing of two innocent civilians.

Case # 3

Victim Name:

1. Mudasir Pandit

2. Asrar Abdullah

Resident of: Sopore

Place of Incident: Tantraypora Brath village,North Kashmir’s Sopore village

Agency Involved: A joint team of Police, army and CRPF

Date of Incident: June 21, 2021

Testimony: Mudasir Pandit and Asrar Abdullah were killed in north Kashmir’s Sopore village in a fake encounter with security forces at Tantraypora Brath village. A video that went viral on social media on the day of the fakecounter showed women in the neighborhood wailing and saying that the police has killed the innocent civilians. The women were also shouting anti-police and pro-freedom slogans. A middle-aged man in the video claims that he saw police get out of their vehicle and fired indiscriminately at civilians.

Case # 4

Victim Name: Nadeem Abrar

Resident of: Maloora, Parimpora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar

Place of Incident: Parimpora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar

Agency Involved: A joint team of Police, army and CRPF

Date of Incident: June 29, 2021

Testimony: One June 29, 2021 Nadeem was during a fake encounter in Parimpora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar district. In Parimpora naka, a vehicle was stopped and their identity was asked. Nadeem was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle. Both the driver and Abrar were taken to a police station. Then Abrar was then taken to his house, cordoned off the house and killed Nadeem in a fake search operation.

Case # 5

Victim Name: Imran Qayoom Dar

Age: 17

Son of: Abdul Qayum Dar

Resident of: Rresident of Batengoo village of Anantnag district

Place of Incident: Sursano village of Kulgam.

Agency Involved: Police and the Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles (RR

Date of Incident: June 30, 2021

Testimony: the police and the Army’s 34 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) launched a search operation killed Imran Qayum in a fake encounter in Sursano village of Kulgam. The Dar family identified their son from a photograph of a body shown to them after the alleged gunfight had ended.

Case # 6

Victim Name: Zakir Bashir

Age: 18

Resident of: Chimmer area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam

Place of Incident: Chimmer area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam

Agency Involved: A joint team of Police, army and CRPF

Date of Incident: June 30, 2021

Testimony: On June 30, 2021, police killed Zakir Bashir, a teenager, during a fake search operation in the Chimmer area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Zakir was taken away from his home, shot dead and then his throat was slit.

Case # 7

Victim Name:

1. Nishaz Hussain Lone son of Manzoor Ahmed Lone of Nageenpora Tral,

2. Danish Manzoor Shiekh son of Manzoor Ahmad of Sathergund Kakapora,

3. Amir Wagay son of Abdul Gani Wagay of Hanjan Payeen,

4. Mehran Manzoor of Jamalatoo Srinagar and

5. Rehan

Place of Incident: Hanjin Rajpora area of Pulwama

Agency Involved: J&K Police, army’s 44RR and 182/183 battalions of CRPF

Date of Incident: July 2, 2021

Testimony: On July 2, 2021, five youth were killed in a fake encounter in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. A joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, army’s 44RR and 182/183 battalions of CRPF in the area and killed the 5 persons.

Case # 8

Victim Name: Ubaid

Place of Incident: Kralgund area of Handwara

Agency Involved: Joint team of Police, army’s 32RR and 92 BN of CRPF

Date of Incident: July 7, 2021

Testimony: On July 7, 2021, the operation was launched by joint team of Police, army’s 32RR and 92 BN of CRPF in Kralgund area of Handwara. Indian forces cordoned off the area and killed Ubaid on the spot.

Case # 9

Victim Name:

1. Kifayat Sofi

2. Inayat Ahmad Dar

Resident of: Pulwama

Place of Incident: Puchhal area, Pulwama

Agency Involved: Indian Army

Date of Incident: July 8, 2021

Testimony: In Pulwama, a cordon was laid around a built-up area in the Puchhal area. At 03:00 am Indian Army killed two youth in a fake encounter. The slain were identified as Kifayat Sofi and Inayat Ahmad Dar from Pulwama.

Case # 10

Victim Name:

1. Shahbaaz Ahmad Shah

2. Nasir Ayub

Resident of: Kulgam

Place of Incident: Kulgam

Agency Involved: Indian Troops

Date of Incident: July 08, 2021

Testimony: The Army had launched a fake search operation with effect from June 29, 2021 in the area and killed two youth Shahbaaz Ahmad Shah and Nasir Ayub in the fake encounter.

Case # 11

Victim Name:

1. Arif Hajam resident of Anantnag

2. Basit Rashid Ganai resident of Anantnag

3. Suhail Mushtaq Bhat resident of Pulwama

Place of Incident: Kawarigam village of Achabal hamlet in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district

Agency Involved: J&K Police, Army’s 19 RR and CRPF

Date of Incident: July 10, 2021

Testimony: On July 10, 2021, a joint team of Police, Army’s 19 RR and CRPF launched a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) and killed three youth Arif Hajam, Basit Rashid Ganai and Suhail Mushtaq Bhat in a fake encounter.

Case # 12

Victim Name: Gul Jan

Resident of: Aragam Village, North Kashmir’s Bandipore

Place of Incident: Nadihal Road, North Kashmir’s Bandipore

Agency Involved: Army Convoy

Date of Incident: July 14, 2021

Testimony: The incident took place at Nadihal Bandupre in which an elderly woman was hit by an army vehicle and she died on the spot. The body was shifted to hospital for medicolegal formalities. An FIR was registered and the vehicle was seized.

Case # 13

Victim Name: Irfan Ahmad Sofi

Son of: Nazir Ahmad Sofi

Resident of: Natipora, Srinagar

Place of Incident: Saidapora, Eidgah area

Agency Involved: CRPF

Date of Incident: July 16, 2021

Testimony: In the wee hours of July 16, 2021, CRPF cordoned off the Alamdar Colony, Saidapora, Eidgah, Srinagar, and killed Irfan Ahmad Sofi in a fake encounter

Case # 14

Victim Name: Bilal Ahmad Bhat

Son of: Manzoor Ahmad Bhat

Resident of: Natipora, Srinagar

Place of Incident: Saidapora, Eidgah area

Agency Involved: CRPF

Date of Incident: July 16, 2021

Testimony: In the wee hours of July 16, 2021, CRPF cordoned off the Alamdar Colony, Saidapora, Eidgah, Srinagar, and killed Bilal Ahmed in a fake encounter.

Case # 15

Victim Name: Ishfaq Ahmad Dar

Resident of: Shopian

Place of Incident: Chek Sadiq Khan village of Imamsahab Shopian

Agency Involved: Joint Forces soldiers from 34 Rashtriya Rifles, 178 Battalion CRPF

Date of Incident: July 19, 2021

Testimony: On July 19, 2021, the joint Forces soldiers from 34 Rashtriya Rifles, 178 Battalion CRPF and Jammu Kashmir Police personnel had cordoned of Chek Sadiq Khan village of Imamsahab Shopian and killed Dar on the spot.

Case # 16

Victim Name: javaid Ahmad Malik

Resident of: Lurgam village in Tral

Place of Incident: Tral

Agency Involved: Unknown gunmen

Date of Incident: July 23, 2021

Testimony: Javaid Ahmad was fired upon by unidentified gunmen on July 23, 2021. Mir was rushed to the SDH Tral for treatment, where doctors declared him brought dead. Locals said that Javaid is father of two.

Case # 17

Victim Name: Fayaz Ahmad War

Resident of: Warpora

Place of Incident: Sopore

Agency Involved: CRPF

Date of Incident: July 23, 2021

Testimony: A cordon-and-search operation was launched in Warpora village in Sopore on July 23, 2021. The operation turned into a fake encounter and Indian troops killed Fayaz on the spot.

Case # 18

Victim Name: Shaheen Ahmad Mir

Resident of: Cherpora in Budgam

Place of Incident: Sopore

Agency Involved: CRPF

Date of Incident: July 23, 2021

Testimony: A cordon-and-search operation was launched in Warpora village in Sopore on July 23, 2021. The operation turned into a fake encounter and Indian troops killed Shaheen Mir on the spot.

Case # 19

Victim Name: Sariq Baba

Resident of: Bandipora

Place of Incident: Shokbaba forest in the Sumblar area of Bandipora in north Kashmir

Agency Involved: Police, Rashtriya Rifles, Marcos (Para Special Force), and CRPF

Date of Incident: July 24, 2021

Testimony: The police, Rashtriya Rifles, Marcos (Para Special Force), and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation in Shokbaba forest in the Sumblar area of Bandipora in north Kashmir and killed Sariq on July 24, 2021.

Case # 20

Victim Name: Amir Hussain Mir

Son of: Muhammad Yousuf Mir

Place of Incident: Aharbal area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district

Agency Involved: Police and Security Forces Date of Incident: July 27, 2021

Testimony: The police and security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Aharbal area and killed Amir Hussain Mir in a fake encounter.

Case # 21

Victim Name: Sheikh Meeran Ali

Age: 25

Son of: Muhammad Ali

Resident of: Nawa Kadal in Srinagar

Place of Incident: Bulbul Lanker area of Nawa Kadal in Srinagar

Agency Involved: Unknown gunmen

Date of Incident: July 29, 2021

Testimony: Sheikh Meeran Ali was on shot dead by the unknown gunmen in Bulbul Lanker area of Nawa Kadal in Srinagar. Ali was fired upon by the unknown gunmen leaving him severely wounded. The youth was shifted to Srinagar’s SMHS hospital in critical condition where he succumbed to his injuries.

Case # 22

Victim Name: Muhammad Abdullah Hajam

Age: 52

Son of: Abdul Rahman Hajam

Resident of: Gurez town, Tarbal

Place of Incident: Gurez town, Tarbal–the last village near LoC Agency Involved: Army Unit of (36RR)

Date of Incident: 31 Jul 2021

Testimony: Muhammad Abdullah Hajam was called by the local army unit of (36RR) at Tarbal–the last village near LoC, about 20 kms from Gurez town, where he died due to torture inside an army camp. The locals said that they came to know this morning about the death of the man inside the army camp. The deceased according to locals was the father of five children. After Hajam’s death, his relatives and locals held a protest in the area.

Case # 23

Victim Name: Abu Saifullah

Place of Incident: Nagberan Tarsar of South Kashmir’s Pulwama

Agency Involved: Indian Army & CRPF

Date of Incident: July 31, 2021

Testimony: The security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in the forest areas of Namibian and Marsar and the general area of Dachigam on July 31, 2021 and killed Saifullah in a fake encounter.

Case # 24

Victim Name: Babar Ali

Place of Incident: Chandaji area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora

Agency Involved: J&K Police & CRPF

Date of Incident: Aug 3, 2021

Testimony: Babar Ali was killed in a fake encounter by Indian troops in Chandaji area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

Case # 25

Victim Name: Usman

Place of Incident: South Kashmir’s Kulgam district

Agency Involved: J&K Police

Date of Incident: Aug 13, 2021

Testimony: On Aug 13, 2021, Usman was killed in a fake encounter by Indian troops in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

Case # 26

Victim Name:

1. Abdul Hamid Chopan,son of Adil Chopan, Age 49, Resident of Tral

2. Yusuf Dar, Age 48, Resident of central Kashmir’s Budgam

3. Ilyas Najar, Resident of Khellan, Pulwama

Place of Incident: Tral

Agency Involved: J&K Police & CRPF

Date of Incident: Aug 21, 2021

Testimony: Security forces personnel had launched a cordon and search operation in the upper reaches of the forest area of Nagbaeran Tral in the south Kashmir district and killed Hameed, Ilyas and Yusuf during fake encounter.

Torture Cases

Case # 1

Victim Name: Zubair Ahmad

Age: 10 years

Son of: Ghulam Mohammed Khan

Resident of: Parraypora Kalaroos area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district

Place of Incident: Parraypora Kalaroos area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district

Agency Involved: Abandoned Grenade of Indian Army

Date of Incident: July 15, 2021

Testimony: On July 15, 2021, a minor named Zubair Ahmad son of Ghulam Mohammed Khan was wounded after an abandoned grenade went off in Parraypora Kalaroos area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. Zubair was fiddling with the abandoned grenade lying in the vicinity of his house. The device exploded, resulting in injuries to the boy who was immediately rushed to a local health facility.

Case # 2

Victim Name: Akash Hassan

Resident of: Sangam area in Bijbehara

Place of Incident: Sangam area in Bijbehara

Agency Involved: J&K Police

Date of Incident: July 17, 2021

Testimony: Journalist Akash Hassan was beaten by Jammu and Kashmir police men when he was on his way to Anantnag from Srinagar. Hassan who is a freelance journalist, had received injuries in his hand, mouth and arm, blood oozed out of his mouth. Hassan had no idea why it had happened.

Case # 3

Victim Name:

1. Sahil Yaqoob Bhat (25) son of Mohammad Yaqoob Bhat of Dantar Anantnag

2. Shahid Farooq Sheikh (22) son of Farooq Ahmed Sheikh of Larm Kulgam

Place of Incident: Mirbazar, south Kashmir’s Kulgam district

Agency Involved: J&K Police and CRPF

Date of Incident: Aug 12, 2021

Testimony: Two civilians were injured when J&K Police and CRPF cordoned off the area for a fake search operation in Mirbazar, south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Both suffered injuries in lower abdomen and right thigh respectively at the fake operation site.

Case # 4

Victim Name: Shia Muslim mourners

Resident of: Srinagar

Place of Incident: Guru Bazar area of Srinagar

Agency Involved: J&K Police & CRPF

Date of Incident: Aug 17, 2021

Testimony: Shiite mourners carrying placards that read ‘free Kashmir’ and other Islamic slogans were beaten and detained while they tried to march towards Dalgate, They were beaten after they raised pro-freedom and pro-Kashmir slogans, blood oozed from one mourner’s mouth.’

Case # 5

Victim Name: Fayaz Ahmad Mattoo

Resident of: Khawaja Bazar Srinagar

Place of Incident: Khawaja Bazar Srinagar

Agency Involved: Grenade attack by unknown person

Date of Incident: Aug 19, 2021

Testimony: A civilian identified as Fayaz Ahmad Mattoo of Khawaja Bazar Srinagar suffered injuries in right leg. He was shifted to the hospital for treatment and is stable.

Case # 6

Victim Name: Tariq Bhat

Age: 22

Resident of: North Kashmir’s Handwara town

Place of Incident: Handwara Town

Agency Involved: Unknown

Date of Incident: Aug 20, 2021

Testimony: Tariq Bhat, who works in a corporate company in Gurgaon, was leaving for his home when the six men dressed in formal clothes held him from behind. After continuously requesting the unknown men to let him go, Bhat said that one of them tried to stab him with a sharp object but failed and in turn tore his shirt. When Bhat felt that there was no way of escaping, he said that he started to scream for help. Soon two Muslim men came running toward him and brought him back to the office. Bhat said he is the sole breadwinner for his family. “I am feeling insecure and I am not sure what will happen with me.”

Detention Cases

Case # 1

Victim Name: Manzoor Mir

Son of: Manzoor Ahmad Mir

Resident of: Tulbagh Pampore

Place of Incident: SharShali Khrew area of Police district Awantipora

Agency Involved: Awantipora Police, Army 50 RR and CRPF 185 Bn

Date of Incident: July 28, 2021

Testimony: On July 28, 2021, Awantipora Police, Army 50 RR and CRPF 185 Bn launched a joint cordon and search operation during morning hours in SharShali Khrew area of Police district Awantipora and detained Manzoor Mir son of Manzoor Ahmad Mir resident of Tulbagh Pampore.

Case # 2

Victim Name: Sahil Ahmad Dar

Age:

Son of: Mohammad Ramzan

Resident of: Beminipora

Place of Incident: Hajipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian

Agency Involved:

Date of Incident: June 25, 2021

Testimony: A joint team of police and Army's 34 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) launched a cordon and search operation in Hajipora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on June 25, 2021 and arrested Sahil Ahmad Dar, son of Mohammad Ramzan of Beminipora.

Case # 3

Victim Name: Mohammad Ashraf Shaksaz

Resident of: Kralnar Kalshipora

Place of Incident: Budgam

Agency Involved: J&K police along with 53 RR

Date of Incident: July 14, 2021

Testimony: On July 14, 2021, J&K police along with 53 RR during joint naka checking at Railway bridge Mohanpora arrested Mohammad Ashraf Shaksaz. A case FIR number 207/2021 has been registered in Police Station Budgam.

Case # 4

Victim Name: Mursaleen Maqbool Bhat

Resident of: Shamsabad Budgam

Place of Incident: Budgam

Agency Involved: J&K police along with 53 RR

Date of Incident: July 14, 2021

Testimony: On July 14, 2021, J&K police along with 53 RR during joint naka checking at Railway bridge Mohanpora arrested Mursaleen Maqbool Bhat. A case FIR number 207/2021 has been registered in Police Station Budgam

Case # 5

Victim Name:

1. Umar Nisar son of Nisar Ahmed Bhat of Magray Mohalla Achabal,

2. Tanveer Ahmad Bhat son of Gull Mohammad Bhat of Gori Mohalla Achabal

3. Rameez Ahmad Lone son of Javeid Ahmad Lone of Chak Achabal

Place of Incident: Anantnag’s south Kashmir

Agency Involved: National Investigation Agency (NIA) team along with J&K Police and paramilitary CRPF

Date of Incident: July 12, 2021

Testimony: National Investigation Agency (NIA) team along with J&K Police and paramilitary CRPF on July 12, 2021, arrested three persons in Anantnag’s south Kashmir. The case, NIA said, was registered on 29 June 2021 under sections 124A, 153A, &153B of IPC and sections 17, 18, 18B, 38, 39 &40 of UA(P) Act 1967 in connection with jihad against the Indian State.

Case # 6

Victim Name: Adnaan Ahmad Nadvi

Son of: Noor Din Bhat

Resident of: Haka Bazar Hawal, Srinagar

Place of Incident: Nawabazar Srinagar

Agency Involved: National Investigation Agency (NIA) team along with J&K Police and paramilitary CRPF

Date of Incident: July 11, 2021

Testimony: National Investigation (NIA) team along with Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary CRPF raided several places in south Kashmir and Srinagar and arrested several persons including chairman of a Darul Uloom (Islamic seminary) by name of ‘Sirajul Uloom’. The NIA team raided at Darul Uloom ‘Sirajul Uloom’ at Dalal Mohalla Nawabazar Srinagar and seized some office records and a laptop besides arrested its chairman Adnaan Ahmad Nadvi son of Noor Din Bhat of Haka Bazar Hawal. The raid at Srinagar followed by similar action by NIA at villages Pushroo, Sunsooma, and Achabal in south Kashmir.

Case # 7

Victim Name:

1. Javaid Ahamad Mir (28), MBA by qualification, Shopkeeper by profession, son of Mohammad Shaban Mir of Sunsooma,

2. Umar Bhat (running ready-made garment shop at Achbal) son of Nisar Ahamad Bhat of Magray Mohallah Achabal,

3. Ovais Ahmad Bhat (Lab Technician) son of Nisar Ahamad Bhat, also resident of Magray Mohallah Achabal,

4. Tanveer Ahmad Bhat (26), shopkeeper, son of Gull Mohammad Bhat of Gorimohallah Achabal

5. Zeeshan Ameen Malik (22), chemist at Janglat Mandi Anantnag, son of Mohammad Ameen Malik of Pushroo Nowgam Achabal

Place of Incident: Pushroo, Sunsooma, and Achabal in south Kashmir

Agency Involved: National Investigation Agency (NIA) team along with J&K Police and paramilitary CRPF

Date of Incident: July 11, 2021

Testimony: National Investigation Agency (NIA) team along with Jammu and Kashmir Police and paramilitary CRPF raided several places in south Kashmir and Srinagar including villages Pushroo, Sunsooma, and Achabal in south Kashmir. The NiA team left from the J/d along with arrestees towards Anantnag.

Case # 8

Victim Name: Muzammil Sheikh

Resident of: Chandergeer Hajin

Place of Incident: Hajin

Agency Involved: Bandipora police, 13RR, IRP 21th Bn and 45 Bn CRPF

Date of Incident: July 09. 2021.

Testimony: Bandipora police along with government forces have arrested Muzammil Sheikh from Hajin on July 9, 2021

Case # 9

Victim Name: Mohammad Majloon Sheikh

Son of: Aakli Sheikh

Resident of: Dudran Boniyar

Place of Incident: North Kashmir

Agency Involved: Police & CRPF

Date of Incident: July 8, 2021

Testimony: On July 8, 2021, police along with government forces have arrested Mohammad Majloon Sheikh from North Kashmir

Case # 10

Victim Name:

1. Mohammad Shafi Hajam son of Abdul Ahad Hajam, of Sheeri Mirhar

2. Reyaz Ahmad Bhat son of Manzoor Ahmad, of Sheeri Mirhar and

3. Yasir Bhat son of Ghulam Mohammad of Chatloora Sopore.

Place of Incident: Uri

Agency Involved: J&K Police & Indian Army

Date of Incident: July 2, 2021

Testimony: On July, 2021, Indian forces cordoned off the area during a search operation and arrested three youth from Uri.

Case # 11

Victim Name: Bashir Ahmad Bhat

Age: 35

Resident of: North Kashmir’s Bandipora district

Place of Incident: North Kashmir’s Bandipora district

Agency Involved: J&K Police & CRPF

Date of Incident: Aug 13, 2021

Testimony: A resident of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, who had recorded the aftermath of a road accident in which a woman was run over by an army truck and uploaded it on Facebook, has been booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) over allegations of shouting pro-Pakistan slogans. Bhat was arrested under FIR 31/2021 Indian Penal Code 124 A (Sedition) 147 (Punishment for rioting) 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot, if rioting be committed). He was charged with the things he did not do. Police were telling his family that he will be released then they are not even aware how an FIR was registered against him.