Accused of Custodial Killing, Police Official Gets Promotion
SRINAGAR; In what human rights activists say is the ‘institutional culpability’ of the State, an assistant jail superintendent accused in the custodial death case of a 17-year old youth has been promoted by authorities in Kashmir.
Ghulam Nabi Bhat, an assistant jail superintendent, was recently promoted to the rank of deputy superintendent by the State Police. Bhat served in north Kashmir’s District Jail Kupwara when the ‘custodial killing’ of Sajad Ahmad Dar, a resident of north Kashmir’s Sopore, took place in 2012.
The promotion comes in the wake of the recent State Human Rights Commission order, calling for withholding of promotions to the State Police personnel who are accused of involvement in thousands of human rights violations that have been reported from the restive Himalayan state.
Sajad worked as a ‘generator-operator’ with the State owned BSNL when he was picked up in December 2011 by State Police’s counter-insurgency wing, Special Operations Group, on charges of ‘assisting armed fighters’, a charge denied by his family. Immediately afterwards, the State Police invoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) against him. He died in SKIMS Srinagar on March 22, 2012 after he was denied timely medical aid by Jail authorities.
The promotion of Bhat has also drawn sharp criticism from Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a rights group involved in documenting human rights abuses in the Valley with Khurram Pervez, the convener of JKCSS, called the promotion ‘unsurprising’.
“The State has promoted, rewarded and eulogized its men who stand accused of gross human rights violations. The Indian State is institutionally culpable for these crimes and it hardly cares about the rewarding justice to the victims,” he said.
While the elected leaders in Kashmir and India have promised ‘zero tolerance’ towards rights abuses, the promotion of Ghulam Nabi Bhat is not an isolated event in the history of rights abuses in Kashmir.
Promotions and cash awards to forces involved in human rights violations is a ‘routine’ adopted by the State. Alleged Perpetrators, a report by JKCCS lists many such cases of abuses where men in uniform have been promoted despite allegations of rights abuses.
Altaf Ahmad Khan, a deputy superintendent was promoted to the post of superintendent and awarded the Director General of Police's Commendation Medal for 2010, Gallantry award on January 26, 2012, a Presidents Police Award for Gallantry on August 15, 2012 when he had multiple accusations including custodial death and rape against him during his tenure in the restive Sopore town.
DSP Altaf Khan was implicated in the extrajudicial killing of Nazim Rashid Shalla and transferred from Sopore.
The State Police superintendent Anand Jain was promoted to the post of SSP despite being accused in 'abduction and extra judicial killing' of Qazi Mohammad Yousuf, a resident of Harwan in Srinagar.
"As per publicly available information, he was awarded the Director General of Police's Commendation Medal for 2004, Sher-e- Kashmir Medal for Gallantry in 2004 and 2005 and the Police Medal for Gallantry in 2006," the Alleged Perpetrators report states, reprimanding the State Human Rights Commission of a 'faulty and delayed investigation’ in the case.
Click here to read full Story of Sajad Ahmad Dar's Custodial Death
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Ghulam Nabi Bhat, an assistant jail superintendent, was recently promoted to the rank of deputy superintendent by the State Police. Bhat served in north Kashmir’s District Jail Kupwara when the ‘custodial killing’ of Sajad Ahmad Dar, a resident of north Kashmir’s Sopore, took place in 2012.
The promotion comes in the wake of the recent State Human Rights Commission order, calling for withholding of promotions to the State Police personnel who are accused of involvement in thousands of human rights violations that have been reported from the restive Himalayan state.
Sajad worked as a ‘generator-operator’ with the State owned BSNL when he was picked up in December 2011 by State Police’s counter-insurgency wing, Special Operations Group, on charges of ‘assisting armed fighters’, a charge denied by his family. Immediately afterwards, the State Police invoked the Public Safety Act (PSA) against him. He died in SKIMS Srinagar on March 22, 2012 after he was denied timely medical aid by Jail authorities.
The promotion of Bhat has also drawn sharp criticism from Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), a rights group involved in documenting human rights abuses in the Valley with Khurram Pervez, the convener of JKCSS, called the promotion ‘unsurprising’.
“The State has promoted, rewarded and eulogized its men who stand accused of gross human rights violations. The Indian State is institutionally culpable for these crimes and it hardly cares about the rewarding justice to the victims,” he said.
While the elected leaders in Kashmir and India have promised ‘zero tolerance’ towards rights abuses, the promotion of Ghulam Nabi Bhat is not an isolated event in the history of rights abuses in Kashmir.
Promotions and cash awards to forces involved in human rights violations is a ‘routine’ adopted by the State. Alleged Perpetrators, a report by JKCCS lists many such cases of abuses where men in uniform have been promoted despite allegations of rights abuses.
Altaf Ahmad Khan, a deputy superintendent was promoted to the post of superintendent and awarded the Director General of Police's Commendation Medal for 2010, Gallantry award on January 26, 2012, a Presidents Police Award for Gallantry on August 15, 2012 when he had multiple accusations including custodial death and rape against him during his tenure in the restive Sopore town.
DSP Altaf Khan was implicated in the extrajudicial killing of Nazim Rashid Shalla and transferred from Sopore.
The State Police superintendent Anand Jain was promoted to the post of SSP despite being accused in 'abduction and extra judicial killing' of Qazi Mohammad Yousuf, a resident of Harwan in Srinagar.
"As per publicly available information, he was awarded the Director General of Police's Commendation Medal for 2004, Sher-e- Kashmir Medal for Gallantry in 2004 and 2005 and the Police Medal for Gallantry in 2006," the Alleged Perpetrators report states, reprimanding the State Human Rights Commission of a 'faulty and delayed investigation’ in the case.
Click here to read full Story of Sajad Ahmad Dar's Custodial Death
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