NHRC
Seeks Details On Missing Kashmiris
By Anjali Mody
The Hindu
15 May, 2003
The National Human Rights
Commission has asked the Jammu and Kashmir Government for a report with
regard to the "disappeared'' persons in the Kashmir valley, even
as the Central Government maintains that the disappeared persons were
"terrorists'' and that some of them have been killed in "encounters''.
The NHRC's call for a report
follows a statement issued by the Association of the Parents of Disappeared
Persons (APDP) for the past few months, statements made in the Legislative
Assembly and media reports all of which give different figures, ranging
from 364 to 3184 to `more than 8,000', for the number of the disappeared.
The NHRC has asked the Chief
Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir for specific information about any system
to record allegations of enforced or involuntary disappearances established
by the State Government, the number of such allegations recorded by
it. The system established to investigate allegations and the results
of any investigations it has undertaken, the measures being taken to
prevent occurrences of enforced or involuntary disappearances, and the
measures being taken to bring to book those who may be involved in such
disappearances and provide justice to those who have suffered.
The NHRC first took cognisance
of the issue of the disappeared persons in Kashmir following newspaper
reports published in September 2000. These reports also mentioned the
APDP and a document it had prepared containing a list of missing persons.
The Commission issued notice to the State Government on September 1,
2000. It also issued notice to APDP, requesting a copy of its list of
missing persons and material this was based on.
It received a list of 364
names from APDP in 2001 and the promise of a more complete list. However
it has, as yet, received no second list. The 364 names were sent on
to the State Government and the Union Ministries of Home and Defence,
with the direction to report on their findings to the Commission.
The NHRC has received responses
from the State Government in respect of 93 cases and from the MoD in
respect of 85. The MoD has said that Army personnel had "allegedly
been involved in only 85 of the 364 cases''.