Police Foils UN March Against Enforced Disappearances
SRINAGAR; Police Thursday foiled a march to UNMOGIP office in Srinagar called by a pro-independence group to protest against the enforced disappearance of youth in Kashmir.
The march was called by Jammu and Kashmir Mass Movement led by its chairperson Fareeda Behanji. Scores of Mass Movement activists carrying placards and banners seeking whereabouts of the youth who have become victim of enforces disappearances in Kashmir took to streets in Lal Chowk on Thursday and tried to march towards UN office located at Sonawar.
Independent estimates by human rights group put the number of disappeared persons at over 8000 persons and they have asked the government to investigate the mass graves which could throw light on the mystery.
Talking to reporters, Fareeda Behanji said countless Kashmiri youth have become victim of enforced disappearances in the last 25 years at the hands of Indian security forces, “My father was arrested along with Muhammad Sidique Sofi, and Javid Ahmed Shala 12 years ago. Till date, we don’t know their whereabouts,” she said.
Urging United Nations to establish an independent international tribunal to investigate human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir, she said India has carried out a brutal ‘military campaign of extrajudicial killings, torture, rapes, disappearances and other atrocities’ against the Kashmiri people which need to be investigated.
Police foiled the march near Abi Guzar and arrested Fareeda Behanji, Abdul Rashid Lone and other six female activists and detained them in police station Khoti Bagh.
The march was called by Jammu and Kashmir Mass Movement led by its chairperson Fareeda Behanji. Scores of Mass Movement activists carrying placards and banners seeking whereabouts of the youth who have become victim of enforces disappearances in Kashmir took to streets in Lal Chowk on Thursday and tried to march towards UN office located at Sonawar.
Independent estimates by human rights group put the number of disappeared persons at over 8000 persons and they have asked the government to investigate the mass graves which could throw light on the mystery.
Talking to reporters, Fareeda Behanji said countless Kashmiri youth have become victim of enforced disappearances in the last 25 years at the hands of Indian security forces, “My father was arrested along with Muhammad Sidique Sofi, and Javid Ahmed Shala 12 years ago. Till date, we don’t know their whereabouts,” she said.
Urging United Nations to establish an independent international tribunal to investigate human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir, she said India has carried out a brutal ‘military campaign of extrajudicial killings, torture, rapes, disappearances and other atrocities’ against the Kashmiri people which need to be investigated.
Police foiled the march near Abi Guzar and arrested Fareeda Behanji, Abdul Rashid Lone and other six female activists and detained them in police station Khoti Bagh.
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