New Delhi, January 26 : Underscoring the need to punish the Indian armed forces personnel involved in human rights violations in Kashmir, renowned author and activist Arundhati Roy has said that impunity enjoyed by the forces had made them habitual offenders.
Arundhati Roy has said that Indians will suffer in future for what the people of Kashmir have gone through over last two decades. Roy said that India was not serious in punishing the military, paramilitary, police and government-backed gunmen involved in various heinous crimes in Kashmir. She made these remarks during a debate over the recent report released by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) organised at Gandhi Peace Foundation New Delhi by Peoples Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR).
She accused India of not being serious in punishing the military, paramilitary, police and government backed gunmen who had been declared accused in the various heinous crimes.
“Troops and paramilitary troops involved in various heinous crimes including custodial killings, disappearances, rapes and declared accused through FIRs and other reports have evaded action which has resulted in making them habitual offenders. These habitual offenders when deployed in other states will commit the same offences against innocent people,” Roy said. She said that in a bid to continue its occupation in Kashmir India had made its forces immune from every law there. “If civil society of India and other human rights activist do not take appropriate steps after going through the report of APDP, we will feel ashamed in future,” she added.
Roy said that the High Court of Kashmir and the government established human rights commissions had indicted military and paramilitary forces involved in various heinous crimes, but both the puppet administration of the territory and Government of India had not shown any seriousness in punishing them.
Representing the report, APDP’s Parvez Imroz said, India has set free its forces in Kashmir to commit human rights violations and no action is taken against the personnel involved in gruesome rights abuses. Quoting reference from APDP’s report, he said that more than 500 troopers involved in 214 cases had not been brought to book.
Human rights activist, Kartik Markotla, said that the report was based on facts as it was prepared after obtaining official records through RTI Act and the reports filed in FIRs. He said that the registered FIRs in various police stations had held 500 troops, paramilitary personnel, policemen and government-backed gunmen accused.
“India is neither serious nor sincere in punishing these accused persons,” Markotla said. He said that deliberate silence of India against the human rights violations committed by troops in Kashmir was unfortunate and the role of Indian media had been partial or irresponsible regarding it.
Expressing his views on the report, Nivedita Menon said, “Since day one India has closed its eyes from the facts pertaining to human rights violations in Kashmir that is why the violations continue to occur in the Valley. Facts are being distorted in FIRs regarding custodial killings, enforced disappearances or rape and other heinous crimes.”
The APDP at a press conference in Srinagar on December 06, 2012, had made a report public about the human rights violations committed by the personnel of Indian forces. In its report the APDP had named 500 troopers involved in 214 cases of custodial killings and disappearances and other heinous crimes. “235 army men, 123 paramilitary troopers, 111 policemen and 31 government-backed gunmen are involved in these human right violation cases,” the report read.
The report was debated in Delhi and the debate was organized at Gandhi Peace Foundation and organized by peoples union for Democratic rights.