Kashmir fake encounter revelations 'tip of an iceberg'

Srinagar
Feb 10, 2007:

The recent revelations of civilians' killings by police in set up encounters in Indian administered Kashmir are just 'tip of an iceberg', the relatives of the disappeared in Kashmir say.

The Association of parents of Disappeared Persons Kashmir says that about 10000 people have been subjected to enforced disappearance in Indian administered Kashmir.

"You see, a single case led to five more cases of fake encounter killings. It would surely have revealed the truth about many more, if the government would have been really serious about the issue," Shaheena Gul an executive member of the APDP said today.

Investigation into the case of Abdul Reman Padder, who was missing since December 8 revealed he had been allegedly picked up by the Special Operation Group of Police and killed in a set up encounter and bradned as a foreign militant.

Police has since exhumed four more bodies, all civilians killed in fake encounters and labelled as foreign militants.

APDP alleges that 10000 civilians have been subjected to enforced disappearances and government is not bothering to find the truth about them.

According to Parvez Imroz, a human rights activist in Kashmir, a number of these disappeared persons "have been killed during custody in fake encounters and they are buried in mass graves near various army and police camps".

APDP has documented at least 25 such cases since 2002, wherein the civilians were killed in fake encounters.

Lashing out at government for continuously changing statements, Imroz said that since 18 July 2002 Chief Ministers and other lawmakers have given 21 different statements.

"Sometimes like in April 2003, then CM Mufti Mohammed Syed says 3744 persons are missing from 1990 to December 2002 whileas current CM G N Azad said on August 06, 2006 that only 108 custodial disappearances have taken place" Imroz says. "This shows the height of contradictions" he further adds.

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