Srinagar: In a scathing attack on the State Government for appointing former Director General of Police, Kuldip Khoda as the first Chief Vigilance Commissioner of the State, International Peoples Tribunal for Human Rights and Justice in Kashmir (IPTK) and Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in its report “alleged Perpetrators: Stories of impunity in Jammu and Kashmir†has indicted the Indian State of perpetrating widespread and systematic human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, and then awarding individual perpetrators of crimes and ensuring absolute impunity.
The report reads that on 5 February 2013, the State has given us more of the same. Besides refusing to directly respond to the allegations in the report, the State has chosen to very shamelessly award one of the most strongly indicted persons listed in the report: Ex-Director General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, Kuldeep Khoda, who is to be the first Chief Vigilance Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir. The government by rewarding alleged perpetrators like Kuldeep Khoda is only encouraging impunity and lawlessness. This support to alleged perpetrators is a betrayal and injustice with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Kuldeep Khoda, accused of the extra-judicial execution of three persons, has been strongly indicted by information on record, including from the Crime Branch, but has been consistently protected by the State and its institutions – judicial and quasi-judicial. In addition, Kuldeep Khoda may be held directly criminally responsible for the extra-judicial executions of around 270 persons, and numerous other human rights violations, during his tenure as Director General of Police from July 2007 to May 2012. In 2010, for example, there were large scale allegations of torture and the Jammu and Kashmir Police admitted that 5500 persons had been arrested in just that one year. The fall out of that year continues to date for the victims and their families. Kuldeep Khoda can be accused of directly ordering these violations, or ensuring that the perpetrators were not investigated and prosecuted.â€
The report says that Kuldeep Khoda, his accomplices in the police and armed forces and the Indian State need to answer for the ruthless beating to death of 8 year old Sameer Rah, the firing of a tear gas shell on Tufail Mattoo, killing of Wamiq Farooq and for all the other violations.
The IPTK/APDP report demanded that the international community recognize the continuing criminal role of the Indian State and its functionaries. “To this end, we begin an international campaign to demand that Kuldeep Khoda, and other alleged perpetrators of crimes in Jammu and Kashmir, including all those responsible at the highest levels of the Indian State, be brought to justice. As part of our campaign we will lobby with various countries and their embassies in New Delhi to blacklist Kuldeep Khoda and alleged perpetrators like him who have with the complicity of the State evaded justice, so that they are not allowed to travel within their boundaries.†The report said. (CNS)
