Killings in Kashmir, Pellet guns figure in US report

A report by State Department of United States about human rights situation in different countries has highlighted the civilian killings in Kashmir during 2016 uprising and rampant use of pellet shotguns.
The report “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices” for 2016 has been submitted to US Congress by the Department of State in the first week of March.
The report said the use of “shotguns loaded with birdshot by security forces to control crowds, including violent protests, in Jammu and Kashmir resulted in 87 civilian deaths and blinded hundreds more, including children.”
The 2016 uprising in Kashmir started with the killing of Burhan Wani, a militant commander, by government forces on July 8.
Wani’s killing triggered anti-India and pro-freedom protests which swelled across the Kashmir Valley.
The annual report mentioned that the killing of Wani led to civilian protests in Kashmir which resulted in more than 90 civilian deaths. It said the killing resulted in “90 deaths, including 88 civilians and two police officers.”
“According to media reports, more than 4,500 civilians and more than 4,000 security personnel were injured. Schools, markets, offices, and businesses remained closed for extended periods,” the US report said about the last year’s uprising.
The 64-page document while citing the reports of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and some media reports said that due to “AFSPA immunity provisions, authorities did not hold the armed forces responsible for the deaths of civilians killed in Jammu and Kashmir in previous years.”
The report compiled by Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor showed fatalities in violence across Jammu and Kashmir increased to 223 between January and October 2016 compared with 174 in 2015.
The report, however, said the figures do not include 90 persons, including protesters, killed by security forces during the 2016 summer uprising.
It said the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir don’t respect the right to protest peacefully.
“…in Jammu and Kashmir, where the state government sometimes denied permits to separatist political parties for public gatherings, and security forces sometimes reportedly detained and assaulted members of political groups engaged in peaceful protest,” the US report said.
Last year state authorities repeatedly imposed curfew in all 10 districts of the valley and mobile services were suspended.
“During periods of civil unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities used the criminal procedure code to ban public assemblies or impose a curfew,” the report said.
Kashmir remained under 53 days of consecutive curfew which was lifted from all areas on August 31, however, it was re-imposed in some areas the next day.
In July, the report added, the state government raided local printing presses, stopped publication, and detained press staff while enforcing a news blackout during a period of unrest.
“In addition to restrictions on newspaper publication, internet and cellular communication was also heavily restricted,” it said.
On the access and request of United Nations to monitor 2016 civilian killings, the report said that in September, New Delhi denied a request to visit Jammu and Kashmir by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the NHRC.
“On August 17, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed regret at the failure of government authorities to grant UNHCR access to Jammu and Kashmir given grave concerns about recent allegations of serious human rights violations,” the report said.
The report noted that according to media reports, approximately 440 individuals in Jammu and Kashmir have been detained without trial since the beginning of large-scale protests in July.
Mentioning human rights activist Khurram Pervez, the report said, he was arrested and detained by security forces in September prior to his departure to address the UN Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
“On October 19, UN experts called on the government to release Pervez immediately. On November 30, authorities released Pervez after a court ruled his detention illegal,” it added.