Torture rampant in Kashmir, Rizwan’s case one among thousands
APDP Statement
28.03.2019
The custodial killing of Rizwan Asad Pandit due to torture and inhumane treatment is yet another case among hundreds of cases of human rights violations where inhuman, degrading and excessive force has been used on a detainee resulting in his death. In the past Association of Parents of Disappeared (APDP) has highlighted the use of torture against detained individuals, which either leads to their death or lifelong physical and psychological ailments. In thousands of these cases, individuals have been subjected to enforced disappearance, which is a continuing crime. Till now, nothing has been known of at least 8000+ cases of enforced disappearances in Jammu and Kashmir and APDP has repeatedly demanded their whereabouts and urged state government to investigate them.
APDP believes that torture is related to disappearance, as according to the revelations made by hundreds of family members of victims of enforced disappearances in many of these cases the victims were brutally tortured for information which they didn’t possess and subsequently the torture lead to their death. In order to hide their crimes, the armed forces would forcibly disappear the body of the victim.
Rizwan was tortured at an infamous torture center. There are several notorious interrogation centers in Jammu and Kashmir, and some of the them have been converted into official residences of politicians. Cargo is one of the remaining few interrogation centers where torture is used – as revealed by the case of Rizwan, and this practice is ensured because of widespread legal, political and moral impunity enjoyed by the armed forces.
It is telling that despite there being widespread allegations of torture against armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir, Indian government has neither criminalized torture under its domestic law nor has allowed international observers like UN Special Rapporteur to visit Jammu and Kashmir and document allegations of torture at the hands of armed forces in an impartial manner. The refusal to acknowledge torture by armed forces is in line with the government of India’s policy of denial of justice to Kashmiri victims of human rights violations.
Tahira Begum Spokesperson APDP
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