Thousands of Unmarked Graves Discovered in Kashmir
August 23, 2011 • By Govind AcharyaFor more commentary of Kashmir and India as a whole, please follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/acharya_dude.
Following a report by a police investigation team, confirming the existence of over 2,700 unmarked graves containing bodies of people subject to enforced disappearances, urgent action needs to be taken including preserving the evidence and widening the investigation across Jammu and Kashmir.
Over 2,700 unmarked graves have been identified by the 11-member police team of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) in four districts of north Kashmir. Despite claims of the local police that the graves contained dead bodies of “unidentified militants”, the report points out that 574 bodies have been identified as disappeared locals – 17 of these have already been exhumed and shifted to family or village grave sites.
The police report concludes that there is “every probability” that the remaining over 2,100 unidentified graves “may contain the dead bodies of [persons subject to] enforced disappearances.” The report further clarifies that the only way to negate such a claim is to study the DNA profiles of the unidentified dead bodies and warns that in the absence of such tests, “it has to be assumed/ presumed that [the] State wants to remain silent deliberately to hide the Human Rights violations”.
I must reiterate the call for the Government of India to initiate thorough investigations into unmarked graves throughout the state. All unmarked grave sites must be secured and investigations carried out by impartial forensic experts in line with the UN Model Protocol on the disinterment and analysis of skeletal remains.
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure the safety of the 62 witnesses who have given statements to the police team and ensure that they, along with relatives of the disappeared persons, local human rights defenders and members of the police investigation team are not pressured, intimidated or subject to any reprisals.
India is a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. The Governments of India and Jammu and Kashmir must ensure that all past and current allegations of enforced disappearances are promptly, thoroughly, independently and impartially investigated and that, where there is sufficient evidence, anyone suspected of responsibility for such crimes is prosecuted in proceedings which meet international fair trial standards.
The current investigation led by a Senior Superintendent of Police was initiated after the SHRC took up the issue in the light of reports on the existence of unmarked graves from local human rights groups, including the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, in early 2008 and Amnesty International’s subsequent call for an investigation.
For more commentary of Kashmir and India as a whole, please follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/acharya_dude.
yet another attack on non west in amnesty usa blog
–
amnesty is a hypocritical and racist tool of western oppression of rest of the world.
while it is quick to accuse non west, not obedient to west, of violations human rights and crimes against humanity, even on no or flimsy evidence, it is yet to accuse usa and rest of its cronies of same even with very solid evidence.
how many more children have to die by the hands of brutal military forces of west acting under obama's orders before amnesty call him a war criminal ? (over 160 children have died from american drone attacks in pakistan upto now. google to find substantiated facts and pics on this. hundreds and thousands more children and innocent adults were killed in iraq,libya, and afghanistan, to mention only the current overt acts of western aggression).
why is amnesty not trying to bring bush in front of a war crimes court?
why does amnesty apply this double standard? these selective accusations against non western leaders and countries helps west to keep them in line and obedient to west and answerable to western tools instead of their own people.
as long as amnesty, fails to accuse western leaders and countries in the same way as others, and continues to apply double standards, it is guilty of racist hypocrisy . don't support this racist hypocritical , tool of western oppression.
If AI is racist ,let you be liberal and tell truth about mass graves
yet another attack on non west in amnesty usa blog
–
amnesty is a hypocritical and racist tool of western oppression of rest of the world.
while it is quick to accuse non west, not obedient to west, of violations human rights and crimes against humanity, even on no or flimsy evidence, it is yet to accuse usa and rest of its cronies of same even with very solid evidence.
how many more children have to die by the hands of brutal military forces of west acting under obama’s orders before amnesty call him a war criminal ? (over 160 children have died from american drone attacks in pakistan upto now. google to find substantiated facts and pics on this. hundreds and thousands more children and innocent adults were killed in iraq,libya, and afghanistan, to mention only the current overt acts of western aggression).
why is amnesty not trying to bring bush in front of a war crimes court?
why does amnesty apply this double standard? these selective accusations against non western leaders and countries helps west to keep them in line and obedient to west and answerable to western tools instead of their own people.
as long as amnesty, fails to accuse western leaders and countries in the same way as others, and continues to apply double standards, it is guilty of racist hypocrisy . don’t support this racist hypocritical , tool of western oppression.
If AI is racist ,let you be liberal and tell truth about mass graves
The issue here is about Kashmir.
About mass graves.
Not about the West.
Everything on earth isn't about the West.
The police … not the West …. found the mass graves … as many as OVER TWO THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED !!
i strongly support the call made here to the government to find & tell the whole Truth at the bottom of these ghastly remains.
i doubt the government will do this.
It never has.
& that will help in identifying the Guilty.
The issue here is about Kashmir.
About mass graves.
Not about the West.
Everything on earth isn’t about the West.
The police … not the West …. found the mass graves … as many as OVER TWO THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED !!
i strongly support the call made here to the government to find & tell the whole Truth at the bottom of these ghastly remains.
i doubt the government will do this.
It never has.
& that will help in identifying the Guilty.
As Much as AI bashes governments and people for HR violations (As per AI Books), is there anyway that AI also say Thank you and appreciate when such party does something good for the sake of HR ??
Govind – Sorry to have written on this wall as this is to do with Situ in Kashmir, But, that Jim McDonnald of yours need to thank and praise the Government of Sri Lanka and the president for lifting the Emmergency Laws. Please pass the message on to the poor fella (Jim)
tx
RM
As Much as AI bashes governments and people for HR violations (As per AI Books), is there anyway that AI also say Thank you and appreciate when such party does something good for the sake of HR ??
Govind – Sorry to have written on this wall as this is to do with Situ in Kashmir, But, that Jim McDonnald of yours need to thank and praise the Government of Sri Lanka and the president for lifting the Emmergency Laws. Please pass the message on to the poor fella (Jim)
tx
RM
History isn't written by the victors.
Not since the Sixties arrived.
Nor is it written by partisan politics.
Unless that politics embraces the affected People's interests.
If your politics tilts in favor of the power which is committing mass executions, THAT won't save the executioners from History's Judgment.
Kashmir is precisely the example of this Truth … india's record in Kashmir is Known.
People KNOW.
You can't censor that Truth.
Bloggers beware … the Sri lankans are here !!
Blogs critical of india vanish whenever Sri Lankans appear !!
Is this a coincidence …. happening again & again on this blogsite ???
Well, Sittingnut's proSri Lanka …
& india backs Lanka's genocide of the Tamils, there's that …
Sinhalese reciprocate by supporting india's continuous killings in Kashmir & india's Native country, true too …
Sri lanka censors the Truth about her OWN genocide, that's well known ….
& this censorship's now extended to india in solidarity ??
Too many coincidences, you say ?
But someone said that, when the stakes are high, there's no such thing as coincidence !
Wait & see … this blog will probably vanish, too !!!
There's no genocide of anyone in Sri Lanka – but the elimination of Tamil Tiger terrorists.
History isn’t written by the victors.
Not since the Sixties arrived.
Nor is it written by partisan politics.
Unless that politics embraces the affected People’s interests.
If your politics tilts in favor of the power which is committing mass executions, THAT won’t save the executioners from History’s Judgment.
Kashmir is precisely the example of this Truth … india’s record in Kashmir is Known.
People KNOW.
You can’t censor that Truth.
Bloggers beware … the Sri lankans are here !!
Blogs critical of india vanish whenever Sri Lankans appear !!
Is this a coincidence …. happening again & again on this blogsite ???
Well, Sittingnut’s proSri Lanka …
& india backs Lanka’s genocide of the Tamils, there’s that …
Sinhalese reciprocate by supporting india’s continuous killings in Kashmir & india’s Native country, true too …
Sri lanka censors the Truth about her OWN genocide, that’s well known ….
& this censorship’s now extended to india in solidarity ??
Too many coincidences, you say ?
But someone said that, when the stakes are high, there’s no such thing as coincidence !
Wait & see … this blog will probably vanish, too !!!
hello,
As I have read the the above article, I learned a lot from it. thank you for posting this one. hope to read more likely this one.
hello,
As I have read the the above article, I learned a lot from it. thank you for posting this one. hope to read more likely this one.
Ladies and Gentlemen…please before we let our guns off..we must understand the whole issue..
1. This discovery has been made by a Goverment Agency having members from State police..same that is being alleged for extra judicial killings.
2. Recovery of large number of uniden grave in 38 graveyards , while appearing sensational must not be misconstrued as mass murder or extra judicial killings. These graves are at established local graveyards and not in hidden trenches in remote jungles.
3.these bodies have not been “dumped”, as been reported by large section of media (both national and international) but have been granted full religious rites and dignity in death.
Ladies and Gentlemen…please before we let our guns off..we must understand the whole issue..
1. This discovery has been made by a Goverment Agency having members from State police..same that is being alleged for extra judicial killings.
2. Recovery of large number of uniden grave in 38 graveyards , while appearing sensational must not be misconstrued as mass murder or extra judicial killings. These graves are at established local graveyards and not in hidden trenches in remote jungles.
3.these bodies have not been “dumped”, as been reported by large section of media (both national and international) but have been granted full religious rites and dignity in death.