INDIA USING TORTURE AS TOOL TO STIFLE KASHMIRIS’ VOICE FOR SELF-DETERMINATION

India is using physical, mental and psychological torture at a large scale as a tool to prolong its illegal hold on Kashmir and to suppress the Kashmiris’ righteous and just demand for right to self-determination. Indian troops during their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 96,211 Kashmiris including 7,297 in custody and fake encounters since January 1989 till date. India continues to use torture as a state policy by which people of Jammu and Kashmir continue to face horrific forms of torture at the hands of Indian forces in the internationally recognised disputed territory. 683 women have been martyred by the troops and paramilitary forces since January 2001 till date. It pointed out that womenfolk constitute the majority of the Kashmiris suffering from multiple psychic problems and mental torture. Indian troops and police personnel arrested 168,009 Kashmiris, including women and children, during crackdowns and military operations since 1989 till date. “These arrested people were physically and mentally tortured by the Indian army, paramilitary and police personnel in different interrogation centers, police stations and jails. The use of torture by the troops has been widespread and indiscriminate in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” 96,717 Kashmiris, including men, women and children, have been injured due to the firing of bullets, pellets, teargas shells and systematic use of torture by Indian troops and police personnel on the people in IIOJK since 2000. Indian Army, paramilitary, Special Operation Group, NIA and SIA have established scores of torture centres in occupied Kashmir where innocent Kashmiris are subjected to various kinds of brutal methods to extract information and confessional statements from them. “Cargo, Harinivas, Papa-1 and Papa-II, and Humhama and police stations are the most notorious interrogation centres where thousands of Kashmiris lost their lives due to severe torture during interrogation. Even top APHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai and Altaf Ahmed Shah died in custody, while prominent liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Muhammad Afzal Guru, were hanged to death on the basis of a confessional statement and fake cases which was extracted on the basis of torture during custody”. Over three thousands of Hurriyat leaders, activists, politicians, Ulemas, human rights defenders and journalists and others remain lodged in different jails of IIOJK and India under black laws, Public Safety Act and Unlawful Activities (prevention) Act (UAPA) in fake cases registered against them to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing right to self-determination demand.

Womenfolk constitute the majority of the Kashmiris suffering from multiple psychic problems and mental torture. “Due to unending agony, Kashmiri widows, half widows are suffering from psychological and other problems. As per a study, women comprise more than 60% of psychiatric patients in IIOJK.” The report pointed out that the life of the people of occupied Kashmir has become a living hell since 5^th August 2019, when Narendra Modi-led Hindutva BJP government repealed the special status of IIOJK by violating international laws and placed it under military siege. “Occupied Kashmir has been turned into the world’s largest prison and military state by India.” India should allow unconditional access to international human rights organizations to IIOJK to assess the prevailing human rights situation in the territory. New Delhi should also ratify the UN Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment, it said. Despite facing India’s worst kind of torture and nefarious tactics, Kashmiris are determined to take their freedom movement to its logical conclusion.