[Reader-list] Mass Graves in Kashmir

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

  Dear All,

This is in continuation of Junaid's posting of April 7 : 'Amnesty  
International and Human Rights Watch slam Indian human rights abuses  
in Kashmir' . The posting pointed out the recent discovery of mass  
graves containing the remains of Nine hundred and forty unidentified  
bodies in different sites in Kashmir.

If the allegations that these are bodies of people killed and  
disposed of by the security forces, and that they may contain the  
remains of many who are alleged to have 'disappeared' in Kashmir are  
true, then this constitutes a very serious matter.

Here are three recent reports that have appeared on the BBC website  
on the subject.

1. Protest over graves in Kashmir
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7343454.stm

2. Kashmir police refuse body demand
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7325001.stm

3. Amnesty urges Kashmir grave probe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7334965.stm

I have not seen too many reports in the mainstream 'indian' media  
about this - I could be wrong, and would like to be corrected, but  
preliminary google searches about the subject in connection with The  
Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express, NDTV and CNN-IBN did  
not yield any results.

The only exception in the mainstream 'Indian' media that I could find  
was a report by Rashid Ahmad from Srinagar in the Hindustan Times.

The story is titled -

Mass graves in Kashmir raise rights violation stink
Rashid Ahmad, Hindustan Times
Srinagar, March 29, 2008

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx? 
id=eb572d05-2d48-4604-99a0-1fc154e2c914&MatchID1=4680&TeamID1=6&TeamID2= 
3&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1179&PrimaryID=4680&Headline=Mass+graves 
+raise+rights+violation+stink

if the general media silence in India about this shocking story is a  
fact. (Again, I hope I am wrong here). Then it is time to ask what  
makes it possible for Indian newspapers and television stations to  
report mass graves in Iraq and Bosnia and suddenly turn all coy when  
they are found in Indian administered Kashmir.

Further, is it time to think about what steps may be necessary to  
take to move towards a boycott of the forthcoming Commonwealth Games  
in Delhi (2010)? (Among other things).

Perhaps there are lessons to be learnt from the Tibetans.

best

Shuddha