Mass graves in Kashmir: India officially guilty

[Abu Zolfiqar]

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Kashmir Graves: What Happens Next?

After an official commission in Indian-administered Kashmir said it has evidence that more than 2,000 unidentified bodies have been buried in unmarked graves, the BBC's Jill McGivering assesses what may happen next.

The Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission is the first government body to confirm what others have previously alleged.

The commission said that 2,156 unnamed bodies have been buried in almost 40 graves across Indian-administered Kashmir over the last 20 years.

Its report has not yet been formally submitted but it has been widely leaked in the media.

The commission's investigation focused on four northern, mountainous districts and involved scrutinizing police, Mosque and graveyard records, interviewing police and local people and cross-referencing information.

The findings of the commission and its apparent willingness to speak is likely to hearten those who have been doubtful about its credibility.

Independent human rights groups have long insisted that the number of unidentified dead runs into thousands and merits further investigation. They have repeatedly highlighted the fact that thousands of people have mysteriously disappeared over the last two decades and never been accounted for.

Long, Uncertain Process

Some accuse India's security forces of abducting local people, killing them and covering up the crime by describing the dead as unknown militants when they are given for burial. The authorities deny such accusations.

The security forces say that the unidentified dead are militants who may have originally come from outside India. They say too that many of the local missing people have crossed into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to engage in militancy.

But this apparent breakthrough is likely to be only the beginning of a very long and uncertain process. The contents of the controversial report are likely embarrass the Indian security forces and the government and it is unclear whether they will act on the report's recommendations.

These include a call for an impartial investigation and moves to identify the bodies. That would be a slow and complicated process. The bodies would have to be exhumed and subjected to DNA tests.

Comparisons could then be made with DNA samples from the relatives of people who are registered as missing. This may confirm family links. Fast progress may be crucial. The report, as quoted by the AFP news agency, said that the scope for DNA extraction from the remains of these unidentified bodies "is still very bright". But as time passes, "chances will be more and more reduced."

Bikramjeet Batra, a campaigner on India for the international human rights group Amnesty International, told the BBC that the evidence was indeed vulnerable.

"The authorities need to secure these sites, make sure that DNA collection is carried out in a scientific manner and ensure the safety of witnesses," he said. If families do discover the remains of their relatives, that would raise fresh questions about the nature of these deaths and about police allegations that they were involved in militancy.

"An essential element, once these bodies have been identified, is to answer the question: what were the circumstances in which they were killed?" said Amnesty International's Bikramjeet Batra.

"If their deaths were unlawful, the people responsible need to be brought to justice"

'Where is My Justice?'

In addition to the 2,156 bodies described as unknown by the report, there are 574 graves which have been identified as local residents and their families have been informed.

Twenty-seven year old mother of two Tasleema Nazir is one such widow. Her husband, Nazir Deka, a street vendor, disappeared from their small village in southern Jammu and Kashmir more than four years ago. His body was found a year later in an unmarked grave about 250 kms (160 miles) from home. He had been shot in the face and chest.

She says that identifying the remains is just the first stage of this process. The second stage is to get justice for the death.

"There are 1,500 women whose husbands have been missing for years," Tasleema told the BBC's Riyaz Masroor in Srinagar.

"I know what happened to my husband. But that is not enough. Where is my justice? The culprits still have not been punished."
The whole issue of extrajudicial killings and the alleged impunity of the security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir is a source of deep resentment amongst many Kashmiris.

A transparent and credible investigation could potentially be healing for a population which has been traumatized by years of violence.

Much will depend though on the political willingness of the authorities to pursue this openly and within a reasonable time-frame.

BBC News - Kashmir graves: What happens next?

[BATMAN]

No, you adding a photo from Syrian mass grave, to rile people up is priceless. Actually no its not, just more corny propaganda coming out of Pakistan.

Best of indian army.

[Roybot]

Best of indian army.

Best of Indian Army shows the videos of J.K Police and CRPF. Do you want me to show you the best of Pakistani Police/Rangers/Army?

Don't be naive. There is obviously stories behind each of the incidents. Showing video clips from here and there doesn't mean sh*t.

[BATMAN]

Best of Indian Army shows the videos of J.K Police and CRPF. Do you want me to show you the best of Pakistani Police/Rangers/Army?

Don't be naive. There is obviously stories behind each of the incidents. Showing video clips from here and there doesn't mean sh*t.

Are you denying???
Open the vedio and see your soldiers.

[Prometheus]

Are you denying???
Open the vedio and see your soldiers.

Youtube is quiet a big proof.

I wonder wats stopping Pakistan from these youtube links with Unsc chief?????

These are very strong proof after all

[BATMAN]

Youtube is quiet a big proof.

I wonder wats stopping Pakistan from these youtube links with Unsc chief?????

These are very strong proof after all

UN is not free to choose.

[hasnain0099]

UN is not free to choose.

Yeh bohat deeth qoum hain yaar....Bunch of trolls...nothing more...and you argue with them....

[Roybot]

Are you denying???
Open the vedio and see your soldiers.

No am not denying anything.

Two things, the videos doesn't show Indian Army, they are J&K Police and CRPF.

And the videos don't show the incidents that lead up to these people getting belted. Its like I post a video of Pakistan Amry torturing captured TTP fighters without giving backgorund info, and go look what the barbarous Pakistani Army is doing to innocent people in FATA.

---------- Post added at 06:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 PM ----------

Yeh bohat deeth qoum hain yaar....Bunch of trolls...nothing more...and you argue with them....

Deeth Quom hogi aapki, 65 saal beet gaye, ab tak baat samajh mein nahin aye. Keep trying

[hasnain0099]

Deeth Quom hogi aapki, 65 saal beet gaye, ab tak baat samajh mein nahin aye. Keep trying

Lagi thaw karky

[Roybot]

Lagi thaw karky

Am not sure what that means.

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Kashmir graves: Human Rights Watch Calls for Inquiry

Rights group Human Rights Watch has urged India to hold an independent inquiry into the unmarked graves found in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Earlier, the state human right commission said it had evidence that 2,156 bodies had been buried in 40 graves over the last 20 years.

The commission is the first government body to confirm what others have previously alleged.

Its report is yet to be submitted but it has been widely leaked in the media.

The commission's investigation focused on four northern, mountainous districts and involved scrutinising police, mosque and graveyard records, interviewing police and local people and cross-referencing information.

"For years, Kashmiris have been lamenting their lost loved ones, their pleas ignored or dismissed as the government and army claimed that they had gone to Pakistan to become militants," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said.

"But these graves suggest the possibility of mass murder. The authorities should immediately investigate each and every death."

Independent human rights groups have long insisted that thousands of people have mysteriously disappeared over the last two decades and never been accounted for.

Some have accused India's security forces of abducting local people, killing them and covering up the crime by describing the dead as unknown militants when they are given for burial.

The authorities deny such accusations.

The security forces say the unidentified dead are militants who may have originally come from outside India.

They also say that many of the missing people have crossed into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to engage in militancy.

BBC News - Kashmir graves: Human Rights Watch calls for inquiry

[A1Kaid]

Clearly the savage terrorists of the Hind army are responsible for this. Pakistan is also indirectly guilty in this for it isn't taking a stronger political stance on this issue, and should be organizing International support for Kashmir. Pakistan also needs support the Kashmiri liberation movement making them an effective force. Until these things are done we can say Pakistan has disasppointingly fallen below the minimum it should do.

[Peshwa]

You can always count on the Pakistanis to add mirch masala to any news...

Lets start by proving that the people buried here were "innocent"..

Just because there were 500 locals does not make them innocent...local Kashmiris can also be terrorists

Secondly....How do we know whether these people were actually killed by the armed forces or killed extra-judicially?

These people could very well have been terrorists killed in operations or civilians killed by terrorists, their bodies never claimed by their relatives and hence were buried in unmarked graves....

The unidentified (alien) bodies could very well be Pakistani....we know there is no paucity of terrorists in Pakistan that cross over into India to meet their maker at the hands of our army

What PROOF exists anywhere in these news stories that indicates that the armed forces did something wrong by killing these terrorists?

I think until we see some PROOF, the Pakistanis should refrain from yapping away to glory about any "atrocities" committed by IA.

[Peshwa]

their wonton disregard for human life of Kashmiris is hardly new, nor out of their character

if they dont get justice the legal way, it is likely that the brothers or friends will get revenge in an alternate way. It's human nature

and maybe the occupation forces (sissies) --as well as the political clowns who give them the orders (sissies) dont keep it in mind that they are human beings who did have families, friends, loved ones.... a vicious cycle.

And the Pakistani armed forces are the benchmark for "courage" when they would rather use Kashmiris to fight their battles as opposed to facing the Indian armed forces themselves..... only to get humiliated every time....

Love thy logic neighbor

[KS]

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Why did the evil Hindus not burn the dead as is their custom and chose to bury the dead :-/

Or were the dead killed by terrorists - both local and foreign and the Indians as usual decided to give the last rites as per their religion like they did with the Pakistani soldiers who died in Kargil and whose bodies werenot even received by Pakistan ?