Srinagar: Taking a dig at successive governments for their failure to provide justice to the victims of rapes and molestations that took place in valley hitherto, the International Forum for Justice and Human Rights -JK (IFJHR-JK) in its statement has urged the State Human Rights Commission to reopen all the cases of rape and molestation committed allegedly by security forces since 1990.
“Not only should the selected cases like Kunan Poshpora and Shopian double rape and murderbe reopened but the SHRC should reinvestigate all the similar cases that have been put on backburner for more than last two decades,” IFJHR-JK in its statement has said.
Chairman of the forum, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo said that not a single force personnel accused of such crime has been brought to justice so far. “Thousands of families of rape and molestation victims, from nine-year-old to 60-year-old, are awaiting justice. The government has done nothing in this regard and all such cases are either prolonged or have been put on hold.”
There have been reports of rape and molestation cases like Badasgam Village where BSF personnel allegedly opened indiscriminate firing upon a marriage party who were travelling in a bus in south Kashmir’s Islamabad district in which a bridegroom and other eight persons received bullet injuries and the bride and her chamber-maid were gang raped by the personnel. The incident happened on the intervening night of May17 and 18, 1990.
Another similar case is of south Kashmir’s Chak-e-Saidapora of Shopian where on the intervening night of October 10 and 11, 1992, the forces entered into the village under the pretext of search operations directed the male members to assemble at one place for search. The forces then allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl and five other women. The medical reports also corroborated the accusations.
In Wadwan area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district, at least 14 women were allegedly gang raped by Army and paramilitary forces on the intervening night of June 25 and 26, 1990. One of the victims succumbed at SHMS hospital on July 11, 1990.
On August 1, 1992, Indian forces allegedly sexually assaulted two British girls (sisters) namely Stevenson Jennet and Stevenson Joane on July 31, 1992. In this regard, an FIR number 168/92 under section 376/511 and 354 stands registered in police station MR Gunj, which is pending for investigation.
In Hilal Bahi Village of south Kashmir’s Islamabad district, on December 5, 1991, the paramilitary forces cordoned off a number of villages and started indiscriminate firing due to which 20 persons were injured and out of them, five were seriously injured. The forces then allegedly entered into the houses of the locals and raped four married women including a six-month pregnant lady, who later reported the matter to district authorities, Islamabad. An FIR stands registered in the police station, Dooru, Islamabad, which is under investigation. The medical reports also had confirmed that the ladies were raped.
The Human Rights Forum has demanded an impartial probe into all the incidents of rape cases and molestations. All the pending cases must be expedited so that the culprits be brought to book and justice may be done therein.
Meanwhile, International Forum for Justice and Human Rights-JK will participate in peaceful sit-in, which is being organized in memory of Asiya-Neeloar in Shopian district of South Kashmir.