Kashmir | News & Discussions.

[EjazR]

The Hindu : Front Page : Srinagar Army deployment driven by panic?

Poor crowd control training leading to fatalities in Kashmir urban clashes every summer, say experts

NEW DELHI:Early in the morning, half a company of soldiers from the Army's Srinagar-based 31 sub-area command rode from the cantonment to the airport. In the afternoon, the troops returned, this time driving through tense inner-city neighbourhoods.

Wednesday was the first day in 17 years that the Indian Army had been ordered out to assist civilian authority in Srinagar — but, ironically enough, there were fewer military vehicles on the city's main highways than are seen on normal days. No actual Army deployment has taken place in the city and, Defence Ministry sources told TheHindu, none is planned: the Srinagar-based XV corps has instructions only to stand by in the event of a crisis.

The Jammu and Kashmir government called for military aid after three weeks of bruising urban violence, which broke out on June 11. Four people were shot dead by police and Central Reserve Police Force personnel on Tuesday, bringing the fatalities in the recent violence to 15. Police say six other civilians were killed in clashes earlier this summer, as well as in incidents linked to clashes.

The last time the Army was out on Srinagar's streets was in April 1993, when elements of the Jammu and Kashmir Police mutinied. Later, that October, the Army was called into action after jihadists occupied Hazratbal, a revered shrine that houses a relic reputed to be a hair from the beard of Prophet Muhammad. In 1999, troops were called in briefly for assistance in an attempt to rescue officials trapped in a terrorist assault on the headquarters of the Jammu and Kashmir's Police crack counter-terrorism force, the Special Operations Group.

Never, however, has the Army been asked to assist in urban crowd control in Kashmir's cities — and many experts are asking if this summer's clashes, appalling as their toll has been, constitute the kind of crisis that justifies calling out troops.

Figures published by the Union Home Ministry's National Crime Records Bureau suggest panic, instead of a calm appraisal, may have driven the decision to call in the Army: the clashes on Srinagar's streets are like a long-running fever, not an emergency that needs surgical intervention.

In 2003, the year the People's Democratic Party-Congress alliance government took office, six people were killed in 47 incidents involving the use of lethal force by police. Thirteen civilians were killed in 2004, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Saeed's full first year in office. Police are recorded as having opened fire on 123 occasions.

The next year, though, fatalities in police firing rose sharply to 50. That September, the State government withdrew Border Security Force units committed to counter-insurgency operations in Srinagar, and replaced them by the Central Reserve Police Force, in an effort to contain killings of civilians.

In 2006, the year Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad took office, there were no civilian fatalities caused by police. Even though Srinagar saw some urban violence that summer, in the course of protests against a prostitution racket in which politicians were implicated, there was little bloodshed.

But the next year eight civilians were killed in 47 instances of police firing.

Fatalities rose sharply in 2008 — a year when large-scale protests against the grant of land-use rights to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board tore apart Jammu and Kashmir. The State government reported 43 deaths and 317 injuries in 379 incidents involving use of lethal force by police.

Data is not yet available for 2009, but a senior police official told TheHinduthat more than 15 civilians had been killed in police firing last summer too.

National problem

Fatalities caused by police firing have been far fewer in Jammu and Kashmir than in many other States less threatened by large-scale protests. Police in Uttar Pradesh killed 104 civilians and injured 145 in 608 incidents of police firing in 2008. Maharashtra reported 47 civilian deaths in 89 incidents of police firing.

Police in several States, the data shows, are more likely than their Jammu and Kashmir counterparts to open fire to kill. In 2007, 30 civilians were killed in Andhra Pradesh in 45 incidents of police firing; eight died in Jammu and Kashmir in 47 incidents. Back in 2006, the Andhra Pradesh police killed 72 civilians in 79 incidents of firing, while 138 Chhattisgarh residents were shot dead in 213 incidents.

Part of the problem, experts say, lies in deteriorating riot-control skills. “Indian police forces,” notes the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management's Ajai Sahni, “used to be internationally regarded for their crowd control skills. Police managing agitations in Punjab or Assam quite routinely dispersed crowds of tens of thousands of people without opening fire.”

“The fact that police forces across the country are using lethal force to disperse a few hundred people throwing stones,” Mr. Sahni argues, “shows something has gone badly wrong.”

Army sources said the Jammu and Kashmir government had been told troops were untrained in riot control duties, and would be unable to assist in crowd control. “We were told our presence was intended to be demonstrative,” a senior officer said, “and that we would not be drawn into riot-related duties.”

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

'Demoralised’ Indian forces in Kashmir​

Despite the continued employment of various methods of state terrorism on the freedom fighters and the innocent protesters in the occupied Kashmir, Indian armed forces have been demoralised in crushing the war of liberation.

In the Indian-held Kashmir, since 1947, Indian military troops have been using barbaric tactics of extra-judicial killings, burning the houses, torture etc. to suppress the genuine freedom movement of the Kashmiris. Last year, discovery of nearly 1000 graves of the unmarked Muslims in the Indian-held Kashmir showed another evidence of Indian military terrorism. Recently, more such graves have been discovered. Reports suggest that these Muslims were tortured to deaths by the Indian army during custody.

In fact, under the cover of various anti-terrorim laws of the country, Indian armed forces have committed multiple brutal crimes such as encounter killings, illegal custody, torture, forced confession, rape of women, corruption, robbing the houses, kidnappings etc.

The fact of the matter is that when Kashmiri people lost faith in the international community, which persisted in ignoring their liberation and when it became obvious that the Indian occupying forces would not vacate the controlled areas through political means, the peoples had no choice but to resort to armed struggle which was actually intensified in 1989.

In fact, present different war between the Indian occupying forces and the Kashmiri freedom fighters is simply a ‘clash of wills’ between two entities. Military thinkers agree that although the physical force will determine the type and scale of war, yet it is the ‘will to fight’ or ‘moral force’ that determines the outcome of war. Clausewitz puts it this way, “One might say that the physical force seems little more than the wooden hilt, while moral factors are the precious metal, the real weapon”

In his book, “Fighting Power: German and U.S. Army Performance, 1939-1945”, Creveld identifies the elements of moral force, whom he calls “fighting power, the willingness to fight and the readiness, if necessary, to die.” The greater these elements, the less vulnerable an armed force will be to demoralisation. Moral force, then, is the crucial factor in determining the combat power of any belligerent.

The ongoing different war between the Indian state terrorists and the Kashmiri people has proved without any doubt that such elements like ‘will to fight’ and ‘moral force’ have been more noted in the latter who have exerted psychological impact of causing fear, shock, mental depression and stress, resulting in demoralisation of the Indian military and paramilitary troops.

In this regard, numerous cases of suicides among Indian troops�opening fire on their colleagues and several other tense reactions have been reported in respect of Indian forces in the controlled territories of Kashmir.

In the recent past, Lt. Col. Pankaj Jha shot himself with a service revolver, while Maj Sobha Rani, Capt Sunit Kohli, Lt Sushmita Chatterjee and a number of other officers of the Indian army also did the same in one or the other way.

Indian defence analysts and psychologists have indicated various causes of suicides and fratricides, found in the Indian military, stationed in the Jummu and Kashmir. They have attributed these trends to “continuous work under extreme hostile conditions, perpetual threat to life, absence of ideal living conditions, lack of recreational avenues, and of course; the home sickness due to long separation from families.”

While other experts have pointed out that the growing stress in the Indian armed forces is owing to “low morale, bad service conditions, lack of adequate home leave, unattractive pay and a communication gap with superiors.”

Retired Maj Gen Afsar Karim, who has fought three wars, remarks, “The stress may be high among soldiers because of lack of leave.” He further explains, “The army is involved in a tough long running internal security environment. There is lack of rest…soldiers get angry when they are denied leave and their officers themselves take time off. It triggers a reaction, while they are well armed and they take their own lives” or those of their colleagues.

Another Indian military analyst reveals, “then there is the question of what many say is low pay…starting salaries in many jobs in middle-class of India are double that of a new soldier, and for many of them, the army no longer holds out the promise of a good life.”

According to the Indian Col SK Sakhuja, “soldiers kill each other when one of them perceives that they are being harassed by superiors or when they have heated arguments among themselves.”

An Indian parliamentary panel had indicated that the military establishment was not taking reports of suicides and fratricides seriously. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, in its 31st report on “Stress management in the armed forces”, stated that 635 suicides of soldiers were reported between 2003 and 2007. In addition, 67 fratricidal killings had occurred.

The committee further said that the “alarming trend of suicides and fratricidal killings in the armed forces is attributable to increased stress environment leading to psychological imbalance in the soldiers”.

However, with the rise in the cases of suicide and fratricide in the Indian armed forces parliament was informed in 2009. In this connection, Defence Minister A.K. Antony revealed in a written reply in the Lok Sabha that of these, there were 48 cases of suicide and one of fratricide in the three services�41 suicides were reported from the Indian Army, six from the Indian Air Force, and one from the Indian Navy. He further disclosed that overall, there had been a staggering 495 cases of suicide and 25 cases of fratricide in the armed forces over the past four year. Of these, 154 suicides and 13 fratricides occurred in 2006, 142 suicides and seven fratricides occurred in 2007 and 151 suicides and four fratricides occurred in 2008. Of the total cases, 412 suicides and 24 fratricides were reported from the army, 76 suicides and one fratricide were reported from the air forces and seven suicides were reported from the navy.

Nevertheless, India has also hired the services of counselors, and stationed psychiatrists close to its troops especially in the occupied Kashmir in order to combat stress that has driven many soldiers to kill themselves or fellow soldiers. Director General Medical Sciences Lt. Gen. N.K. Parmar indicated, “Sixty psychiatrists have been trained and are working in close coordination with the troops…if there are any signs of stress, this will immediately be brought to the commanding officer’s notice.”

Nonetheless, various security agencies of India, working in the Indian-held Kashmir have now not only engaged counselors and psychologists to combat stress among troops but have also found cure in meditation, music, exercises and yoga�all used as techniques against stress and mental disorder.

No doubt, in any conflict zone, the cases of mental depression and stress are common phenomena, but in case of the controlled Kashmir, the trend has increased. It is because of this fact that that Indian armed forces have been so demoralised by fighting with the freedom fighters that either they commit suicide or kill their own colleagues and seniors. They completely lack ‘will to fight’ or ‘moral force.’

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations. Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

Kashmir Watch :: In-depth coverage on Kashmir conflict

 

[brahmastra]

again an article from anti India website.

Last year, discovery of nearly 1000 graves of the unmarked Muslims in the Indian-held Kashmir showed another evidence of Indian military terrorism.

how do you know they were muslims?

even if couple of people go missing then kasmir goes unrest, just emagine what happen if 1000 people go missing.

But you know what,they could be poor foreign soldiers whom their country did not accepted even after their death in war because they were declared mujahid from their country.

 

[IBRIS]

Another nonsense from Sajjad Shaukat....Same crap different day,

http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/64749-indian-exposure-self-destruction.html#post981838

 

[IBRIS]

Read this more nonesense From Sajjad

Sajjad Shaukat, Schema-Root news

 

[karan.1970]

Exploitation of Kashmiri resources must stop; Pak wrong policies forcing people to be pro India, said Kashmiri leaders in a seminar held in Luton, England.
05 July 2010

Written by Dr Shabir Choudhry

The seminar tilted Neelam Jhelum Hydroelectric Project was organised by Kashmir National Party in Luton on 4 July, in which Kashmiris and Pakistanis representing different view points took part. All the speakers expressed their serious concerns about the exploitation of natural resources of Jammu and Kashmir, and demanded that this process must stop.

The Kashmiri leaders said India and Pakistan while using our resources must keep in mind that these resources belong to people of Jammu and Kashmir. If people of Jammu and Kashmir do not benefit from the development projects then that would be considered as plundering and looting of our natural resources.

The seminar was chaired by Abbas Butt, who gave background details to the seminar and how Kashmiri resources were exploited. He said KNP is not anti Pakistan or anti India. We have always taken pro people and pro Kashmir actions, and feel proud that we are true nationalists who want to promote liberal and secular politics. We want to defend rights of people of Jammu and Kashmir and promote peace and better understanding among all the ethnic groups living in South Asia.

KNP Chairman said: we can choose friends but we cannot choose or change our geography. We all have to live in South Asia, and it is in the interest of all that we learn to live in peace and share our resources for the betterment of people of this region. If policy of loot and plunder continues that will prove disastrous not for only people of Jammu and Kashmir but also for the entire region, as it will provide oxygen to those forces who want to spread communalism, extremism and hatred.

Abbas Butt said, ‘We appreciate Pakistan’s water and energy requirements and want to help them in this regard as well; but they should learn to share resources and not to exploit us by behaving like an imperial power. They need to acknowledge that these resources belong to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and people of the area must benefit from this’.

Dr Shabir Choudhry in his keynote speech said, ‘Water is fundamental to human survival, and many countries have serious shortage of water and energy, yet demand is on increase. Lack of sufficient clean and useable freshwater has adverse impact on economy and prosperity of many countries. Because of this scarcity, water has taken a strategic role for many states; and could be cause of conflicts in future.’ He said many experts believe future wars will be fought over water.’

He said, ‘Water is natural resources of Jammu and Kashmir, but it was India and Pakistan who decided how to use our water in Indus Water Treaty of 1960. We cannot even use water according to our wishes or requirements’. In order to appease his political masters, puppet Prime Minister of Pakistani Administered Kashmir, Sikandar Hayat told a seminar on March 6, 2003 “The freedom fighters of Kashmir are in reality fighting for Pakistan's water security and have prevented India from constructing a dam on the Wular Barrage.”

Dr Shabir Choudhry said: ‘In line with its past policies, Islamabad has started a mega project in its colony, known as Azad Kashmir. They did not even care to consult, get permission, or have a formal agreement with the rulers of this territory. Neelam Jhelum Hydroelectric Project is located near Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Administered Kashmir, and it aims to dig a tunnel and divert water of Neelam River which will generate 969 MW of electricity annually’.

He said, ‘The project will benefit Pakistan, but local people will not benefit from it in any form or shape. However, there will be serious economic and environmental consequences for the local people; and their future generations will face very serious economic and environmental problems. Our first priority is to safeguard interest of our people and unfortunately we have to be apologetic over this because of fear of being declared anti Pakistan’. He said, ‘Love of country is part of our faith and we will continue to oppose those who colonise us and loot and plunder our resources’.

Professor Rafiq Bhatti who is a senior leader of UKPNP and have travelled from Mirpur said, ‘KNP leadership should be congratulated for arranging this seminar on a topic which will have disastrous impact on people and environment of the area.’ He said, ‘Many people only deal with current issues, but thinking people also have eyes set on events of future, because we have to plan our future today. We have to ensure what we do today will not be detrimental to the interests of our future generations. Our loyalty should be with our nation. It is our duty to inform our people what is being done to their economy and how our resources are being exploited’.

He said, ‘Both India and Pakistan are plundering resources of our State, and who ever speak out for rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir is declared as anti Pakistan’. He said, ‘It is ironic that Sind Assembly can pass a resolution against construction of Kala Bagh Dam even though that is to benefit Pakistan; and no one call them anti Pakistan’. He said, ‘If economic matters are not resolved appropriately then people could be forced to think of alternatives which could lead to extremism and violence.’

Javed Shah, representing JKLF, said: ‘This is a trivial matter and I advise the KNP leaders not to waste time on the dam and water issues. They should use their time and resources on positive things’.

Hussain Suharwardi Shaheed, a leader of Muslim Conference said people of Azad Kashmir have given sacrifices for Pakistan and we will not hesitate to do the same again. But on the issue of construction of mega dams like Neelam Jhelum Project Government of Pakistan should consult us and give us appropriate royalty for this. He said all people uprooted because of these development projects should be compensated. Our party has always supported Pakistan and cared for interests of Pakistan, but we should not be treated unfairly.

Nawaz Majid, Secretary General of KNP British Zone said: Because of wrong policies of Pakistan, people of Pakistani Administered Kashmir are having ideological changes. At one time 100% people on this side of the LOC opposed accession to India, but on my recent visit to *** I have met people who openly said, ‘If given only two choices they will opt for India, as they have better system and more facilities than what could be available on this side.’

He said, ‘Apart from Pakistani dam on River Neelam, India is also constructing a dam known as Kishanganga Hydro Electrical project. These both projects will surely have very serious impact on environment of the area, not to mention its negative impact on wildlife and beauty of the region which is major source of tourism’.

Asif Masood Choudhry who represented NSF, said: KNP leadership should be congratulated for holding a seminar on this important topic which will affect future of our generations. He said the way the Pakistani authorities have started this project clearly shows they do not care about Kashmiri laws or interests of the local people and danger to the wildlife. They have just started construction without any contract with the Azad Kashmir Government; and this clearly shows what kind of independence this government has.

He said: NSF has history of opposing Pakistani occupation and Pakistani policies In Azad Kashmir, and we will continue to do that. He said we will support the KNP leadership in whatever steps they might take to oppose this project which is unjust and exploits our resources.

Master Nisar, a political activist of Muslim Conference said: His party has always supported accession to Pakistan and we have always given sacrifices for the cause of Pakistan. He said Pakistan has serious water and energy needs, and during this difficult time we need to help Pakistan. I am first Pakistani then a Kashmiri. To me Pakistan and Kashmir are same.

Raja Yasin, a political activist of Muslim Conference said: We support Kashmir’s accession to Pakistan, but it does not mean that we should not ask for our legitimate rights. We do care for Pakistan’s water requirements, but we should get royalty for this. Pakistan must have a contract with Azad Kashmir government, and must give compensation to the affected people.

Usman Kiani, President of UKPNP said: We are not Pakistanis; even constitution of Pakistan does not regard us as Pakistanis. We must not live in fantasy world. I am a nationalist Kashmiri. I am a Kashmiri first and Kashmir last. UKPNP have worked together with the leadership of KNP and we have shared platforms in Geneva and in many other places. I want to assure the KNP leaders that we will support them in this campaign, because it is in the national interest of our country.

Maqsood Hussain Shah, author and political activist said: we appreciate Pakistan’s water requirements but we also have some genuine requirements. If they build this dam it will affect our lives and lives of our future generations. It will also affect lives of many other species. Pakistan must consult government of Azad Kashmir. We should oppose Neelam Jhelum hydro Project and if need be we should contact the UN and other international bodies. He said we people of Kashmir must be part of any talks on Kashmir. It is not for India and Pakistan to decide our future. He emphasised the need of unity that we could have some say in the future talks on Kashmir.

Ejaz Pracha, a Pakistani activist said: You people have some genuine issues. We have no leadership in Pakistan to protect interests of Pakistan; and you people have no leadership to protect your interests. My advice to you is to get maximum unity and only then you can protect rights and interests of your people.

Nazam Bhatti, President of KNP in his concluding remarks said: ‘We are true nationalist and it is our duty to protect interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir; and we must not be apologetic over this. We must be steadfast in our resolve and totally ignore what critics say about us. Some people have a role to criticise us and deter us from doing our national duty’.
He said, ‘those who have interest of people of Jammu and Kashmir close to their hearts, to them construction of this dam is very serious matter because it is economic and environment disaster. We have right to use our resources according to our requirements. Any project which is against our wishes and against our requirements must be opposed; and if necessary destroyed’

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

3 more die in Kashmir violence after teen's body found​

From Mukhtar Ahmad, CNN
July 6, 2010 1:37 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-Kashmiris clash with Indian security forces
-Skirmishes erupt after discovery of teenager's body
-Three more die in daylong violence in Srinagar; 14 have died in unrest since June
-Muslim-majority region's residents accuse Indian troops of excessive force

Srinagar, India (CNN) -- The death of a teenager whose body was fished from a stream triggered hours of violence Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir that also killed three other people, police said.

Residents in the Gangbugh area of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state, said the 17-year-old was chased by security forces during protests on Monday and then drowned.

Divers discovered the body Tuesday morning, residents said, sparking fresh protests, which quickly turned into violent clashes between stone-throwing protesters and Indian police.

Security forces fired warning shots and tear gas and used batons to restore order. A woman was hit in the chest by a stray police bullet and later died at a local hospital, senior police officer Farooq Ahmad said. Also among the dead was a 15-year-old boy.

Tuesday evening, Srinagar was under curfew.

"This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure and in view of the apprehension of breach of peace and tranquillity and damage to life and property," the district magistrate said in a statement.

Kashmir's latest wave of unrest began in late June and has left 14 people dead, many of them youths. The violence has angered residents of the restive Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, who say Indian troops, stationed there to quell a two-decade insurgency, are using unnecessary force.

3 more die in Kashmir violence after teen's body found - CNN.com

 

[billi]

3 more die in Kashmir violence after teen's body found​

From Mukhtar Ahmad, CNN
July 6, 2010 1:37 p.m. EDT

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
-Kashmiris clash with Indian security forces
-Skirmishes erupt after discovery of teenager's body
-Three more die in daylong violence in Srinagar; 14 have died in unrest since June
-Muslim-majority region's residents accuse Indian troops of excessive force

Srinagar, India (CNN) -- The death of a teenager whose body was fished from a stream triggered hours of violence Tuesday in Indian-administered Kashmir that also killed three other people, police said.

Residents in the Gangbugh area of Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state, said the 17-year-old was chased by security forces during protests on Monday and then drowned.

Divers discovered the body Tuesday morning, residents said, sparking fresh protests, which quickly turned into violent clashes between stone-throwing protesters and Indian police.

Security forces fired warning shots and tear gas and used batons to restore order. A woman was hit in the chest by a stray police bullet and later died at a local hospital, senior police officer Farooq Ahmad said. Also among the dead was a 15-year-old boy.

Tuesday evening, Srinagar was under curfew.

"This decision has been taken as a precautionary measure and in view of the apprehension of breach of peace and tranquillity and damage to life and property," the district magistrate said in a statement.

Kashmir's latest wave of unrest began in late June and has left 14 people dead, many of them youths. The violence has angered residents of the restive Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley, who say Indian troops, stationed there to quell a two-decade insurgency, are using unnecessary force.

3 more die in Kashmir violence after teen's body found - CNN.com

These kashmiris are just trouble makers. They dont realise all the freedom that a democratic India is bringing to them.

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

Indian army returns to Srinagar​

Bid to end escalating violence with first deployment to Kashmir city in 20 years threatens to raise tensions with Pakistan​

Jason Burke in Delhi
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 7 July 2010 19.03 BST
Article history

Indian army soldiers in an armoured vehicle patrol the streets of Srinagar where 15 people have been killed during anti-India protests. Photograph: Reuters

India deployed its army in Kashmir's summer capital of Srinagar for the first time in nearly 20 years today in an attempt to break an escalating cycle of violence that has killed 15 people and wounded many hundreds.

A long column of armoured military vehicles drove through Srinagar in a show of strength after police failed to control weeks of street protests in the disputed region. The troops repeatedly fired live rounds into crowds of stone-throwing protesters.

"We would like to make [our intervention] as short as possible," Pallam Raju, the minister for defence, told local television. "It is not a situation the army would like to be in."

The move threatens to raise regional tensions ahead of a visit by the Indian foreign minister SM Krishna to Pakistan next week. The hostile neighbours have fought three wars over Kashmir and continue to dispute ownership of the former Himalayan princedom, India's only Muslim majority state. Peace talks have been stalled since the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November 2008 which Delhi blames on a Pakistani-based militant group.

An overnight exchange of fire on the border killed two Indian troops and wounded a Pakistani soldier and several villagers, according to reports.

Indian officials said the army's deployment in Srinagar had been formally requested by Jammu and Kashmir's chief minister, Omar Abdullah.

The last time the army took to the streets of Srinagar was in the early 1990s at the height of the insurgency against Delhi's rule. The city is usually patrolled by local police or paramilitaries from the central reserve police force (CRPF).

"It remains to be seen if it will have a sufficient psychological impact to stop the protests," said Professor Gul Mohammed Wani of Kashmir university. "I don't think the problem will diminish, however. It is primarily a question of politics and there is no political movement at all at the moment."

Human rights groups accuse the paramilitaries of being responsible for most of the recent deaths. But Prabhakar Tripathi, a CRPF spokesman, said: "We are using maximum restraint. We only ever fire in a few cases and in self defence."

While locals say the protests are spontaneous, the Indian government has blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistan-based militant group accused of carrying out the Mumbai attacks.

Indian army returns to Srinagar | World news | The Guardian

 

[S_O_C_O_M]

Kashmir police investigate Indian soldiers accused of murdering civilians​

Troops allegedly killed civilians falsely claiming they were Islamic militants in order to secure combat bonuses​

Jason Burke in Nadihal
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 June 2010 19.59 BST
Article history

Police clash with demonstrators in Srinagar. Photograph: Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images

Police in Kashmir are investigating a series of incidents in which Indian soldiers are accused of killing civilians who they subsequently claimed were Islamic militants.

In one case, exposed this month, three labourers were allegedly murdered in an attempt to boost the combat record of an Indian army unit whose members were then able to claim bonuses. According to police investigators, the three men were lured to their deaths by local intermediaries paid cash by an army officer. They were executed and buried, and a report was filed claiming they were violent extremists.

In April a 70-year-old beggar was shot dead. Relatives denied army claims that he was a member of a local militant group.

Last week a case was registered with police involving two porters who the Indian military said had been shot by Pakistani forces across the Line of Control, the de facto border that separates Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts of the disputed state.

But doctors who carried out a postmortem said the men had been shot from close range. Army spokesmen refused to comment on the details of the cases, saying that investigations were underway.

Ayesha Khan, the mother of Shahzad Ahmad Khan, one of the three labourers killed in April, said: "Those who are responsible should be hanged and we are hopeful of justice."

Local human rights activist Parvez Imroz said he was aware of at least 50 other cases in which non-combatants had disappeared. "This is the tip of the iceberg," he said.

Imroz said that soldiers tackling Islamist militants received bonuses for each kill. "There are vested interests that have developed in the conflict. The army have been given these incentives and so they kill non-combatants," he said.

Khan's uncle, Riaz Ahmed, said: "I want to know how many other boys they have killed like this. They get their promotions to generals or colonels or whatever and we are left with coffins. They make their careers over the bodies of our sons."

The soldiers accused of the three cases have now left Kashmir and a court martial has been ordered while an internal army inquiry continues.

Imroz said he doubted that any of the soldiers would be disciplined. "We have had no instances where the perpetrators [in previous cases] were punished. Whether institutionally or individually there is no accountability," he said.

Sheikh Shauqat, professor of international law at Kashmir University in Srinagar, said the police investigation was unprecedented. "People believed all along that this sort of thing was happening. But for the first time the state police investigated and exposed it. This at last authenticated the people's belief," he said.

The killings have fuelled unrest in Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, which is caught in a cycle of violent demonstrations and police shootings.

Three teenage protesters were killed today in the southern Kashmiri town of Anantnag, bringing the total to 11 killed by police in the last two weeks. As demonstrators took to the streets, authorities declared a curfew and mobile phone services were suspended in north Kashmir.

Most of the casualties among the protesters were a result of shooting by the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force rather than local officers.

CRPF commanders said their men had been left with no choice but to defend themselves with live ammunition after protesters tried to set fire to their vehicles and bunkers.

The upsurge in public disorder coincides with a series of visits of senior Indian officials to Pakistan. External affairs minister SM Krishna is due to travel to Islamabad next month in an effort to restart peace talks frozen since the attacks by Pakistan-based terrorists in Mumbai in November 2008.

The Indian army today said it had killed five militants who were trying to cross from Pakistan, which considers the Indian portion of Kashmir illegally occupied and has long supported violent separatist extremists in the state. Three soldiers have also been killed in firefights in recent days, an army spokesman added. More than 30 members of the security forces have died this year.

Kashmir police investigate Indian soldiers accused of murdering civilians | World news | The Guardian

 

[Areesh]

Actually they want to earn some money and fame and to gain all this IOK is the best place.

 

[Gene]

whats the big deal??
the situation demands so.. Army is deployed to help police & local administration to regain peace.

 

[ice_man]

whats the big deal??
the situation demands so.. Army is deployed to help police & local administration to regain peace.

ya what's the big deal just a handful of OCCUPIED KASHMIRIS died! killed in cold blooded murder by INDIAN police! but why should you care!

army should walk in clean up the mess & delhi can keep on pointing the fingers left right & center

 

[Join]

ya what's the big deal just a handful of OCCUPIED KASHMIRIS died! killed in cold blooded murder by INDIAN police! but why should you care!

army should walk in clean up the mess & delhi can keep on pointing the fingers left right & center

Army Is here to maintain law and order.... Army Knows How to deal the situation and Bring peace to the Vally.....

 

[javaman]

ya what's the big deal just a handful of OCCUPIED KASHMIRIS died! killed in cold blooded murder by INDIAN police! but why should you care!

army should walk in clean up the mess & delhi can keep on pointing the fingers left right & center

national integrity first,then left right