Daily Times

SRINAGAR: The Human Rights Watch (HRW) – an international rights body – has urged the Indian authorities to investigate each incident, where ammunition was used, to determine if the use of force was proportionate.

According to Kashmir’s media, HRW South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly in an interview said, “De facto impunity prevails for the government forces in Kashmir.”

“For too long, inquiries are ordered but we see no outcome. It is for this reason we have been calling for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and other laws that provide immunity from prosecution,” she said.

Ganguly said that there were repeated allegations that riot-control guns which fire pellets instead of live ammunition were not used properly – leading to severe injuries – even deaths, even injuring the bystanders.

“Those responsible for violations should know that they will be held to account, not protected from prosecution after internal inquiries that are considered neither transparent nor fair,” said Ganguly.

Ganguly has previously served as the South Asia Correspondent for Time Magazine before joining the Human Rights Watch.

She said the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms say that law enforcement officials should apply nonviolent means before resorting to the use of force – only in proportion to the seriousness of the offense – and only when strictly unavoidable to protect life and adding that if the government insists that it has ordered maximum restraint and ‘if those orders are disobeyed or there are violations of procedure, troops have to be held to account’.

She said there has clearly been excessive and indiscriminate use of force leading to scores of fatalities and hundreds of injuries in the recent protests as there have been repeated allegations about abusive and rough treatment by security officials deployed.

The director also expressed concern about the reports of troops deployed in Kashmir schools. In addition to endangering student and teacher safety, the military use of schools also hinders children’s access to education and lowers the quality of their studies, she said and added that it was important that peaceful voices of dissent and criticism receive a fair hearing.

“That is the way to address discontent so that people are assured that they will get justice,” she concluded.