Srinagar: The State Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to state police, seeking its response to a petition demanding a probe by SHRC’s investigation wing into the use of “excessive force” and non compliance of standard operating procedure (SoP) by the armed forces during 2016 unrest in Kashmir Valley.
M M Shuja, chairman Centre for Peace and Protection, who has filed the petition, said that the Director General of Police has been asked by the SHRC to file the response by or before next date of hearing on 24 October.
Besides the probe, Shuja also seeks direction to the state to conduct a physical verification of all 9042 injured during 2016 unrest forthwith and submit a complete list to the Commission.
Shuja said as per the information provided by Directorate Health Services Kashmir, of the 9042 people injured due to pellets and bullets, 782 have eye injuries, many whom have lost their vision completely while scores others have been rendered disabled permanently or partially.
He has also sought directions to the state government to adopt a complete rehabilitation policy for permanently and partially disabled civilians of 2016 unrest.
Shuja also seeks direction from the SHRC for the grant of adequate compensation to all the injured persons of the unrest.
In his plea, Shuja says that it is common knowledge that during 2016 unrest, more than 75 civilian were killed in Kashmir Valley due to bullets and pellets by the armed forces.
“The respondent state is believed to have granted compensation to the all the Nok’s of the dead civilians. While granting compensation to the Nok’s of the deceased civilians, the government has virtually conceded the excesses of the state forces resulting in the death of such civilians. The state by no standard can ignore or isolate the injured people who too are the victims in the same incidents. The state appears to have acted with malafide and has deliberately and wittingly abdicated its constitutional responsibility,” he said.