[Reader-list] Kashmir Fact Finding

[radhikarajen at vsnl.net]

Were you in II world war with hiter and his propaganda machine or did you get any transplant from those ?

----- Original Message -----
From: Khurram Parvez <khurramparvez at yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 7:03 pm
Subject: [Reader-list] Kashmir Fact Finding
To: SARAI <reader-list at sarai.net>

> 
>      People’s Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi
>  
> 
> PRESS RELEASE, 26th August 2008
>  
> Findings of an Investigation Conducted From 22 to 25 August 2008
>  
> A six-member team from four human rights organisations conducted 
> an investigation into the “economic blockade” in Kashmir and its 
> aftermath. The team toured the districts of Srinagar, Budgam, 
> Baramulla, and Bandipora. The team spoke to victims of the 
> violence and their families, people who were part of protests, 
> doctors at the SMHS hospital, journalists, the Kashmir Chamber of 
> Commerce, and office bearers of many social and political 
> organisations. However, the fact finding was disrupted as the 
> state announced an indefinite curfew from the morning of 24th 
> August. The release also addresses the second round of curfew 
> currently in force. The total loss of life during the two periods 
> of curfew stands at over 35. 
> The main findings of the team are summarized below:
>  
> 1.  Azaadi is the primary demand in Kashmir
> The team arrived in Srinagar on 22 August and witnessed the 
> massive protest meeting at the Idgah grounds. People gathered 
> there publicly declared their primary demand for azaadi (freedom) 
> at the meeting venue and through numerous street processions in 
> various streets of Srinagar on 22 and 23 August. During our 
> interviews with individual families and with groups, people voiced 
> the same demand. A wide range of social and political 
> organisations have also reiterated this demand.
>  
> 2.  Use of curfew to create a confrontation
> Curfew was imposed from the evening of 11 August and again from 
> the morning of 24 August. The first time it was imposed hours 
> after the security forces opened fire at many places on an unarmed 
> procession heading to the Muzaffarabad border killing at least __ 
> people. It was expected that people would come out in the 
> following day to protest against the killings. Curfew thus became 
> an instrument to prevent people from assembling and gave security 
> forces the power to use force against unarmed protestors. 
> The second time curfew was imposed with the express purpose of 
> preventing the dharna at Lal Chowk. The previous gathering at 
> Idgah, where this dharna was announced, had been peaceful. 
> Therefore curfew became the means by which a confrontation was 
> created, which could have been easily avoided. The clamping down 
> on media and the brutal attacks on journalists happened while the 
> team was still there. Arrests of leaders, raids of homes and 
> intimidation of local residents by the army and CRPF are happening 
> even now. On 24th itself, our team issued an appeal to the central 
> government to lift the curfew to prevent loss of life. 
>  
> 3. Deliberate blockade of supplies and its indifferent handling.
> While our team has not investigated the happenings in the Jammu 
> region, its impact on Kashmir has been confirmed through our 
> interviews. Protests in Jammu, which started from early July, took 
> a more violent turn from the beginning of August. This led to 
> severe restriction on the movement of goods and people on the 
> Srinagar-Jammu highway and even into Punjab. Records at the 
> highway check points, as reported in the Economic Times (21.8.08), 
> confirm the substantial lowering of goods traffic in July and its 
> worsening in August. Shortages were created as a result: of oils 
> and cooking gas in the rural areas, of cereals and medicines in 
> the urban areas. Given the fears of Kashmiri transporters and 
> drivers, the impact was far worse in traffic moving out of 
> Kashmir. This has led to substantial losses for fruit growers as 
> well as handicrafts and carpet manufacturers and transporters. 
> Fruit could be found rotting at many places and handicraft 
> manufacturers report
> cancellation of export orders for the ramazan season and fears 
> for the Christmas season. The team was told that till 23rd August, 
> 80 % of the trucks were not leaving the valley for fear of attacks 
> and only some 15-20 trucks were able to carry the apples out of 
> the valley after assurance of safe passage from the government. 
> The loss—over 75% of the fruit are rotting in the Sopore mandi. In 
> Seer Jagir, a village in Sopore tehsil, the team met small farmers 
> with average land holding of 4-5 acres, which produces on an 
> average 3000 boxes of apples per annum. The 30 farmers in this 
> village reported that they have lost on an average Rs 2 lakh this 
> season. Therefore, the total loss of this small village account to 
> nearly 60 lakh. The government’s lackadaisical attitude in 
> ensuring supplies and its attempt to deny the ‘blockade’ led to 
> feeling of ill-will in Kashmir. 
>  
> 4. Firing incidents (11-14th August) were unprovoked and aimed to kill
> The team investigated 15 cases of deaths that occurred on account 
> of firing by CRPF and JK police between 11 and 14 August. The 
> actual death toll is estimated to be above 30. The findings show a 
> clear pattern: (a) The firings were aimed to kill. This was 
> evident from eye witness accounts which showed that the firings 
> were indiscriminate and aimed directly at the crowd. At Paribal, 
> near Bandipura town on 12th August the RR and JK police fired on 
> the crowd from above the hill where the 15 RR camp is located. (b) 
> A large number of deaths resulted from injuries in the abdomen, 
> chest, head or upper or lower back. The same was confirmed by 
> hospital records. (c) In some cases, as at Lasjen on 12 August, 
> protesters were deceived into by an assurance of allowing peaceful 
> procession and then resorting to firing. Three people were killed 
> including one 50 year old woman and six others received bullet 
> injuries. 
>  
> 5.  Attacks on those Injured
> The total number of people injured in the period between 11 and 14 
> August is not clearly established. However, at SMHS hospital 
> alone, over 500 patients were admitted in the same period. The 
> team met families and those injured and killed in the attacks. We 
> were repeatedly told that the security forces never tried to reach 
> the injured to hospital. Worse, vehicles carrying injured to 
> hospital were routinely attacked. Hospital sources claim that a 
> number of ambulances were attacked. The same is confirmed by news 
> reports today and the health department has threatened to stop 
> ambulance services given the injuries received by ambulance 
> drivers. Our team was told that in Lasjen, even those carrying 
> dead bodies back from the hospital were attacked on 12th August. 
> Elsewhere, in Bandipora the same was reported. The van carrying 
> Mehrajuddin Kakh, injured in the Bandipura killing on 12 August, 
> was attacked by CRPF and STF at Parimpora. Not only were the occupants
> attacked, Mehrajuddin’s thigh injury was brutalized by twisting a 
> lathi in it. He died the same night. Equally, Imran Ahmed Wani who 
> was injured in the Bagi Mehtab firing on 12 August was 
> deliberately refused ambulance service for nearly two hours. In 
> fact, when he did get into one, it was attacked at Rambagh Pul. He 
> was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
>  
> 6.  Attack on the SMHS hospital, Srinagar
> What is unbelievable is the attack on SMHS Hospital on 11 and 12 
> August successively. The SMHS hospital received the largest number 
> of casualties. When doctors were trying to conduct emergency 
> operations at break-neck speed in order to save lives, the 
> Casualty was attacked with tear gas shells followed by firing live 
> bullets. The firing was again repeated on 12 August. It is the 
> dedication of doctors, paramedic staff, ambulance drivers and 
> timely arranging of bandages, gauze and cotton by the medical 
> representatives, at the risk of their own lives, that managed to 
> save a large number of lives. The doctors also confirmed that the 
> help received by the ordinary people in saving the lives of those 
> injured was remarkable. People helped the medical staff in 
> transporting the wounded to the OT, aided in tending treatment in 
> the Casualty and arranged vans and ambulances to carry them to the 
> different hospitals in the city and elsewhere. 
>  
> 7.  Attacks on Funeral Processions
> Funeral processions were repeatedly attacked in many places as 
> large numbers of people marched with the bier to the graveyards. 
> The team was told that the funeral procession of Ishfaq Ahmed 
> Kana, shot dead at Qamarwari Chowk, Srinagar on 11 August, to the 
> Idgah Martyrs Memorial was attacked by the CRPF with lathis and 
> rubber bullets. In Baghi Mahtab, Javed Ahmed Mir’s funeral 
> procession was attacked and one person was killed in the firing. 
> Other protest demonstrations protesting against the killings were 
> also attacked. For instance, the protest demonstration following 
> the shooting of Owais Majeed Zarga in Rainawari, Srinagar on 12th 
> August was attacked by the Kashmir police stationed outside the 
> office of the local MLA, Mhd Shahid. Two boys were injured in the 
> firing. 
>  
> 8.  Raids and Attacks on Residents: 
> During the evening of 13 and 14 August, security forces engaged in 
> an indiscriminate and large-scale attack on houses in localities 
> close to the firings, thrashing people and smashing window panes. 
> At Safakadal, Srinagar, residents showed how their houses and a 
> nearby mosque were attacked by the CRPF. At Lasjen, JK police and 
> CRPF personnel entered houses to thrash people. Relatives were 
> forcibly prevented from accessing homes of deceased and women 
> relatives at the house of Imtiaz Rahim, who died in the firing, 
> showed us the marks of brutality at the hands of the security 
> forces. 
>  
> 9. FIRs: Refusals and Distortions: 
> In most cases, the families have not registered any FIRs against 
> the security forces as they fear going to the police station or 
> that it would invite further violence. Where families of those 
> killed were able to go to police stations after many days, they 
> found that FIRs were already lodged stating that the protestors 
> attacked security forces who in turn were forced to open fire. 
> When families tried to get their version recorded, the same was 
> refused. Complaints are rejected. In the case of the Bagi Mahtab 
> killings where the families of the deceased (Javed Ahmed Mir and 
> Imran Ahmed Wani) were given a totally false version of the 
> happenings in the FIR. When challenged, the police said that the 
> families must come ten days later with 4 eye witnesses to 
> corroborate their story. This refusal even to receive complaints 
> is tantamount to making the security forces judges of their own 
> actions. 
> 10. Present Curfew and Developments
> On 24 August, Kashmir was greeted by indefinite curfew when it 
> woke up in the morning. Within a few hours four media persons, on 
> their way to office had been badly beaten up at Rambagh by the 
> CRPF. The identity cards and passes issued during the last phase 
> of curfew presented by the journalists were rejected. Mr Bilal, 
> bureau chief of Sahara Samay was admitted to the Bone and Joints 
> hospital and later to the SMHS hospital. By evening, security 
> forces opened fire in Dal Gate area killing one person and 
> critically injuring another. Homes of political leaders were 
> raided and some arrested. In the rural areas, the army threatened 
> local imams, nambardars and chowkidars on 24 August that they 
> would be held responsible if people dared to join in the 
> procession to Lal Chowk. Over the last two days, the curfew has 
> lad to at least seven people being killed in firing by security 
> forces and over 275 injured in various parts of Kashmir valley.
> Essential supplies to Srinagar city, such as medicines, water 
> tankers and milk, have been blocked and this ‘blockade’ has been 
> done at the instance of the CRPF. The entire control of land and 
> order in Srinagar city has all been handed over to the CRPF and 
> news reports have suggested that the local police have also been 
> beaten by the CRPF.
> CONCLUSION
> The investigation team is of the opinion that the firing, 
> brutality, loss of life was not only wholly avoidable but done 
> deliberately. The disruption of road traffic to Kashmir needed to 
> be recognized by the government and addressed. The resort to 
> curfew after the firing on 11 August denied the people a right to 
> protest and be heard. Additionally, the curfew provided the 
> security forces the power to open fire with impunity. A number of 
> extremely inhuman crimes were committed by the security forces by 
> denying and obstructing medical aid to the injured, attacking the 
> injured and most seriously by launching an attack on the SMHS 
> hospital. No existing law in the country provides immunity to 
> police and security forces for such crimes. The lack of any action 
> against these forces even where the crimes are established by eye-
> witnesses and reported in newspapers, makes people lose whatever 
> faith in the government that may have remained after decades of 
> army rule.
> Despite these happenings, the people of Kashmir have shown 
> exemplary restraint and ensured that all processions and public 
> gatherings after the lifting of curfew remain wholly peaceful. 
> This situation should have been utilized to initiate political 
> dialogue instead of the visit by the National Security Advisor. 
> The imposition of curfew to prevent another such pre-declared 
> peaceful mass gathering can only be seen as an invitation to 
> another bloody attack on protestors and serves as a message to the 
> people of Kashmir that the Indian government would not tolerate 
> peaceful and unarmed protest.
>  
> WE DEMAND
> 1.             Immediate lifting of the curfew and restoration of 
> ample space to people to peaceably collect and voice their demands.
> 2.             Criminal charges be registered against those 
> responsible for attacks on injured people, ambulances and 
> hospitals as well as widespread damage to houses.
> 3.             Peoples complaints concerning arbitrary and 
> indiscriminate use of fire by security forces be registered and 
> the culprits brought to book.
> 4.             Law and order duties be immediately restored to the 
> police in Srinagar and all forces be made ot work ‘in aid of civil 
> power’ as required by law. 
> 5.             The situation of the peaceful expression of peoples 
> demands be utilized to initiate a political dialogue, the 
> political establishment is duty-bound to do so when people in such 
> large numbers are voicing these.
>  
>  
> Harish Dhawan
> Secretary, PUDR
> On behalf of 
> People’s Democratic Forum (PDF), Karnataka
> Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), Andhra Pradesh
> Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), Jammu and Kashmir
> People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), Delhi
>  
> 
> 
>      
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