104 armymen punished for rights violations in Kashmir

JAMMU - A total of 104 army officers, junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other personnel posted in Jammu and Kashmir were found guilty of human rights violations and punished in the past 20 years, the Indian Army said Saturday.

The army, however, did not share the nature of the complaints and the kind of punishment awarded to the guilty personnel.

Out of the 104 personnel who were punished, 39 were officers, nine were JCOs and 56 were other personnel, an army spokesperson said.

According to army’s record, 1,514 complaints of alleged human rights violations were received in the past 20 years and 1,508 of them were investigated. Six cases were still being investigated.

Of the total complaints received and investigated, only 35 cases were found to be true, the spokesperson said.

About 97 percent of the complaints were found to be false. Only 2.32 percent of the complaints received with regard to charges against soldiers fighting the guerrillas in Kashmir were found to be true, he said.

Terrorist violence in the state started in the late 1990s. The army has attracted flak from human rights groups for alleged human rights violations, which were used as a campaign by the separatists.

The alleged violations have also fuelled a campaign to recall the army and withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in the state, particularly the Kashmir Valley.