India to investigate disputed raid that killed 4 in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, India — Authorities successful Indian-controlled Kashmir connected Thursday ordered an probe into a constabulary raid that killed 4 radical and led to protests from families of the 3 victims who accidental their relatives were gunned down successful acold blood.

Police had said earlier the 2 civilians among the victims died successful the crossfire erstwhile authorities forces connected Monday attacked suspected rebels successful Srinagar, the divided region’s main city.

Witnesses and families of the civilians and 1 suspected rebel person denied the constabulary mentation and said Indian troops utilized them arsenic quality shields during the standoff and killed them deliberately.

Police said the rebels included a Pakistani citizen, but offered nary evidence. They besides described 1 of the civilians arsenic an “overground worker,” a word Indian authorities usage for rebel sympathizers and their civilian supporters.

Manoj Sinha, New Delhi’s apical head successful the region, said the probe volition beryllium led by a elder civilian serviceman and the “government volition instrumentality suitable enactment arsenic soon arsenic the study is submitted successful a time-bound manner.” He said his medication “will guarantee determination is nary injustice.”

Authorities aboriginal secretly buried each of the victims successful a distant northwestern village.

The announcement of the probe comes aft constabulary detained and aboriginal released implicit a twelve relatives of the slain civilians during a sit-in precocious Wednesday successful Srinagar. The families were demanding authorities instrumentality the bodies truthful they could hide them.

“Our archetypal and foremost precedence is to get the body,” said Abdul Majid Bhat, member of 1 of the civilians.

Kashmir’s separatists called for a shutdown connected Friday successful the portion to protestation the killings.

In the past 2 years, authorities person buried the bodies of hundreds of suspected rebels and their alleged associates, including civilians, successful unmarked graves successful distant areas, denying their families due funerals. Authorities accidental the argumentation is aimed astatine stopping the dispersed of the coronavirus and to debar imaginable instrumentality and bid problems during funerals.

The argumentation has added to wide anti-India choler and immoderate rights groups person fiercely criticized it arsenic a usurpation of spiritual rights. Rights groups besides accidental consequent investigations seldom effect successful prosecutions and are often aimed astatine calming nationalist anger.

“These probes successful the past person ne'er resulted successful providing justness to the aggrieved. It helps the authorities successful buying clip and tiring the families,” said Parvez Imroz, a salient rights lawyer who heads the Jammu-Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society.

Kashmiris for years person accused Indian troops of targeting civilians and committing abuses with impunity. Such allegations see staging gunfights and past saying the guiltless victims were militants to assertion rewards and promotions. Indian officials admit the occupation but contradict abuses are portion of a strategy. They accidental the allegations are mostly separatist propaganda meant to demonize troops.

“The probes, if done honestly, whitethorn lone assistance to cognize the information but not found justice,” said Imroz.

Both India and Pakistan assertion the divided territory successful its entirety. Rebels successful the Indian-controlled information of Kashmir person been warring New Delhi’s regularisation since 1989.

India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and astir Kashmiris see it a morganatic state struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and authorities forces person been killed successful the conflict.