13, 904 civilians killed in Kashmir from 1989 to 2014: MHA report

However the number is five times less than the number compiled by different non-government organizations (NGOs) of Kashmir Valley.

The data also reveals that civilians killed are three times more than forces killed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

MHA data reveals that 13,904 civilians and 4922 forces personnel have lost their lives during the period of 1990 up to 2014.

The annual report maintained by MHA states that the year 2014 has witnessed a 30.58 percent increase in the number of casualties of civilians in comparison to the year 2013.

“The year 2014 witnessed a 30.58% increase in the number of casualties of civilians and 86.66% increase in number of militancy incidents in comparison to the year 2013,” the report reveals.

The government has collated the figures of civilians killed since 1990: it lists only 13,904 innocent civilians. The numbers vary from a high of 1031 civilians killed in 1995 to 1008 killed in 2002.

The number of killings may include all the massacres such as Sopore massacre in which 55 civilians were massacred allegedly by security forces, 51 people were massacred by the CRPF in just one incident when it fired at a crowd of protesters on a bridge at Gaw Kadal in Downtown, Srinagar. However there is no mention of such massacres in the report.

The report even does not mention about the 120 civilians who were killed in the summer of 2010. It has mentioned only 47 civilians killed in the year. According to the Union Home Ministry, year 2010 in Jammu and Kashmir witnessed 488 violent incidents in which 69 forces personnel were killed while 232 militants were also gunned down during the year.

With an alarming number of civilians killed every year and in a growing trend, Army is maintaining a strong defense of AFSPA saying its withdrawal would have adverse impact on the situation.

There are also number of cases which after probing have unveiled the violation of Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) by the government forces.

Union Home minister Rajnath Singh recently ruled out revocation of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Jammu & Kashmir, saying the situation was not conductive for it.

“I want to say that at least a situation must be created where AFSPA can be revoked. I pray for a situation where there is no need for AFSPA in the country,” he had said.

However, on the other hand the Union Government in its report maintains that “the security situation in J&K has witnessed significant improvement in recent years with a slight increase in militant activities in 2014.”

Moreover, Amnesty International has also slammed India for Armed Forces Special Powers Act saying the law continues to feed a cycle of impunity for human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir. In a report that called for an end to the use of the AFSPA in Jammu and Kashmir, human rights group Amnesty International has released a detailed report on the basis of 58 case studies of alleged excesses by the armed forces in the State.

The non-government organizations are refuting the report compiled by the State government saying that the figures are “misleading and factually wrong.”

Human rights activist Khurram Parvaiz and coordinator, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) while refuting the report said the number are much higher than what has been compiled by the State and is factually wrong.

“We have done door to door surveys in district Baramulla and the figures alone in Baramulla are 2839 from 1990 till 2006. The figures of killings in Jammu and Kashmir as per our compilation are more than 70,000 which include militants as well. There are number of cases whose FIRs have never been registered after their death. So we don’t agree to this data,” he said.