News
Thursday, June 10, 2010
India urged to prosecute soldiers for IHK killings* HRW says army should hand over soldiers to police for trial in civilian court
SRINAGAR: The Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged India to prosecute soldiers accused of killing three men during an alleged fake gunbattle in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK).
The Indian military said the victims were rebels who were killed when it foiled an infiltration by militants along the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
But the victims’ families said they were innocent civilians who had been abducted by the army three days before the supposed battle on April 30.
The army has suspended an officer and removed another from his command pending enquiries into the killings.
“If the army is serious about punishing those responsible for this latest incident, it will transfer the suspects to the police for trial in a civilian court,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, a senior researcher at the Human Rights Watch.
“Given the army’s poor record in holding its soldiers accountable, there is no reason to believe that a military court can be trusted to deliver justice,” she said. Ganguly said the killing of the three men underscored the urgency for the Indian government to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
The act gives soldiers wide powers to shoot, arrest and search suspects, and is widely detested by the people of IHK. afp
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk