SHOPIAN KILLINGS: Complaint at NHRC claims army soldiers’ ‘rights were violated’

New Delhi :The National Human Rights Commission has written to the Union Defence Secretary, asking for a “factual report” from the Union Ministry of Defence to know the situation and steps taken by the Union Government after it received a complaint from three children of army officers against stone pelting in Shopian in January last month.
“NHRC has taken cognizance of a complaint requesting its intervention for an appropriate enquiry in the recent incident of stone pelting and assault by an unruly and disruptive mob on the Army personnel in the Shopian district of Jammu & Kashmir on the 27th January, 2018. Raising the issue of the safety of soldiers and officers of the Indian Army, deployed in encounter insurgency areas in Jammu & Kashmir and other states, the complaint sought to draw the attention of the Commission to the innumerable and frequent instances of violation of human rights of the army personnel, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir,” NHRC said in an official statement.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, two protesters were killed on the spot in alleged firing by the Army, while a third protester succumbed to injuries later after the incident.
The father of an Army officer, who was booked in connection with the killing of three civilians, has also moved the Supreme Court, demanding that the FIR be quashed.
The complaint, NHRC said, was filed by three children of the officers of Indian Army, who said they were disturbed by the recent incidents of stone pelting and assaults by unruly and disruptive mob on security forces.
“They alleged, quoting news reports, that the attack on an army convoy in Shopian district was completely unprovoked an unwarranted; still an FIR was registered against the army personnel. They quoted, date wise, a series of incidents wherein, allegedly, the army faced hostilities from the very people, it was deployed to protect. Not only that, even FIRs were registered against the army,” the NHRC statement said.
“It is pointed out in the complaint that the administration, which is being assisted by the Indian Army, has failed to safeguard the human rights of the members of the Armed Forces. They cited instances of various countries, wherein severe punishment is meted out to those involved in stone pelting on Armed Forces. They have also stated that it is revealed that the FIRs, registered against the stone pelters and perpetrators of violence, had been withdrawn upon the directions of the Government of J&K and that it will definitely lower down the morale of the troops,” the statement added.
The Union Defence Secretary has been asked to reply to the notice within four weeks.