6 slain youth’s relatives await justice
Srinagar: In connection with 15th anniversary of “Tanghdar Killings”, the International Forum for Justice and Human Rights-JK has accused the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of adopting dual policy with regard to Kashmir. The families of the six slain youth are still waiting for the day they will get “justice” as the youth, according to them, were innocent and were killed in a staged encounter.
“Almost all the cases pertaining to Kashmir, NHRC has always been prejudicial in its approach. All the staged encounters and other issues related to human rights violations by Army and paramilitary forces, the Commission continues to use different yardsticks when it comes to cases connected to Kashmir,” Chairman, IFJ – JK, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo said.
He said the victims of “Tanghdar encounter” among all other staged encounters and massacres are yet to get any kind of justice from the said Commission, which has lost its relevance in Kashmir.
“By always favoring the Army and Paramilitary forces version and turning blind eye to other accounts, the NHRC has turned out to be a good for nothing in its conduct towards Kashmir,” Untoo said and demanded an independent probe into the Tanghdar killings.
In this regard, a petition filed by Ahsaan Untoo on 14-06-2000 before State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) states that during the intervening night of 15 and 16 May, 2000, six youth were allegedly arrested from their respective residences in the apple town of Sopore by the troops stationed at Ganjoo House, Court Road, Sopore and were tortured to death. Then their bodies were allegedly taken to Tanghdar where the media persons were told that the youth had been killed in an encounter.
According to families of victims, their sons were murdered with no fault of theirs. “They were arrested by Army without any reason and taken into custody. Thereafter, we got only the dead bodies of our children,” they said, adding, “instead our children were labeled as militants.”
Even after the passing of 15 years, the Human Rights Forum and the families of the victims have rejected the NHRC verdict and have demanded an impartial and independent probe into the Tanghdar killings so that justice should prevail at all.
The slain youth were identified as Manzoor Ahmad Banday, son of Mohammad Amin Banday, resident of Noor Bagh Sopore, Javid Ahmad Parray, son of Ghulam Mohammad Parray, resident of Parray Mohalla, Noor Bagh, Sopore, Ajaz Ahmad Ahmad Mir, son of Abdul Rashid Mir, resident of Armpora, Sopore, Reyaz Ahmad Kaboo, son of Abdul Khaliq Kaboo, resident of Armpora, Sopore, Ajaz Ahmad Mir, son of Abdul Khaliq Mir, resident of Armpora, Sopore and Mushtaq Ahmad Mir, son of Abdul Rahim Mir, resident of Armpora Sopore. The age group of all these youth was said to be between 17 and 19 years.