EARLY TIMES REPORT
NEW DELHI, Mar 10: Union Defence Minister AK Antony has said that there have been as many as 133 complaints of human rights abuse against defence personnel from Jammu and Kashmir since 2004 and until the end of the last year. And in 38 cases out of them, a request for prosecution of the erring personnel was made. In a written reply to a question given in the Rajya Sabha here today, the Minister gave year-wise break up of these incidents in past six years. Antony was responding to a question raised by GN Ratnapuri, a member of the Upper House.
The highest number of human rights violations as per the complaints was in 2005 when 34 such incidents were came to notice through complaints filed against them. The last year figure for human rights abuse in Jammu and Kashmir according to numbers of complaints is 21.
Except for the year 2004 when no request for permission for prosecuting personnel involved in such cases was received despite 13 complaints made that year in all subsequent years until 2009 requests for permission for prosecution have been made.
And in all 38 such requests were pending with the Government though the Minister said in his reply that "no permission for prosecution was granted during the same period (2004-2009)."
Permission for the prosecution of military personnel has to be taken from the Central Government in case of human rights violations by them in the State of Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern States because of the protection given to these personnel under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that is operative in these regions.