Feb
11
India Orders Probe into Killings of Civilians by Security Forces
February 11, 2004 | 1 Comment
After Indian troops killed protestors in Kashmir, demonstrating against the killing of five civilians allegedly used as human shields by the Indian Army in an encounter with militants, the government has agreed to order a probe. However, it remains to be seen how effective this probe will be. In March 2000, 35 Sikhs were killed […]
Feb
10
Jailbreak Escapee’s Father Fears Extrajudicial Execution
February 10, 2004 | Comments Off on Jailbreak Escapee’s Father Fears Extrajudicial Execution
The father of Burail Jail escapee Paramjit Singh Bheora, charged with a role in the assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, fears his son may have been extrajudicially executed by the police: [The] father of Paramjit Singh Bheora, today moved an application in a local court alleging his son was forcibly taken out of […]
Feb
9
Questionable Developments in Jailbreak Investigations
February 9, 2004 | Comments Off on Questionable Developments in Jailbreak Investigations
The recent news on the Jan. 22 Burail jailbreak and the police investigations raises even more questions: The main police officer, Charan Singh, whose testimony implicated senior police officers in the jailbreak, mysteriously died of a heart attack in police detention. Now, his testimony cannot be used in court. The police have closed the jail […]
Feb
9
Call for Information on Abuses Committed by Poohla
February 9, 2004 | Comments Off on Call for Information on Abuses Committed by Poohla
The Poohla Nihang Eviction Panel, led by Chairman Col. Sandhu, called for information on abuses committed by Ajit S. Poohla: Convening a press conference, Col Sandhu, of village Pahuwind in Amritsar district, said the self-styled Nihang was created by the Punjab Police to spy on and spot terrorists for the police. Col Sandhu said the […]
Feb
9
Police Fire at Kashmir Demonstration
February 9, 2004 | Comments Off on Police Fire at Kashmir Demonstration
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir opened fire and used teargas against demonstrators protesting the army’s alleged use of Kashmiri civilians as a human shield in a skirmish with militants: Local residents say the civilians who died were captured by troops from a village near Bandipora on Friday. They say the troops used them as human shields […]
Feb
8
Amnesty Int’l Urgent Action for Jailbreak Detainees
February 8, 2004 | Comments Off on Amnesty Int’l Urgent Action for Jailbreak Detainees
Amnesty International has put out an urgent action regarding the detention of social activists, human rights workers, and lawyers after the Jan. 22 jailbreak by the accused in the case of the 1995 assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh. Our Feb. 5 post also describes fears of torture of the alleged jailbreak mastermind.
Feb
8
Alternative Film Festival in Bombay Offers Space for Political Films
February 8, 2004 | Comments Off on Alternative Film Festival in Bombay Offers Space for Political Films
Indian film-makers have set up an alternative film festival, Vikalp: Films for Freedom, after the government run Mumbai International Film Festival (Miff) refused to air political documentaries. According to film-makers, 44 films were rejected because of their political content: “When we went through the list of films [at the government festival], we realised that all […]
Feb
7
Delhi Chief Minister Claims Demands of 1984 Victims Satisfied
February 7, 2004 | Comments Off on Delhi Chief Minister Claims Demands of 1984 Victims Satisfied
Yesterday, at the Darbar Sahib in Amritsar, Punjab, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit claimed that the demands of the victims of the 1984 Sikh pogroms had been met. After this surprising claim, functionaries at the Darbar Sahib amazingly honored Dikshit with a ‘siropa,’ or saffron cloth. Dikshit made this claim despite the failure of […]
Feb
6
Bailable Warrant Issued Against HKL Bhagat
February 6, 2004 | Comments Off on Bailable Warrant Issued Against HKL Bhagat
The Delhi High Court has issued a bailable warrant against Congress (I) leader H.K.L. Bhagat, for his role in the pogroms against the Sikhs in November 1984: On an appeal filed by Darshan Kaur, a riot victim, judge R.S. Sodhi asked Bhagat to appear before the court July 19. Read affidavits filed against Bhagat before […]
Feb
6
Update on Case of Bilkis Rasool
February 6, 2004 | Comments Off on Update on Case of Bilkis Rasool
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences conducted an inventory of the materials unearthed from a site in Gujarat by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), investigating the rape of Bilkis Rasool and the murder of 14 Muslims, some of whom were also raped: Bones, bone fragments and items of clothing and footwear exhumed from […]