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| Rape, molestation rates in Kashmir lower than national average: Azad | | Security forces responsible for just four percent of incidents’ | |
Srinagar, Jul 20:
The rape and molestation rates in Kashmir were much lower than the national average and security forces were responsible for just four percent of such incidents. Molestation rate in Kashmir, however, is much higher than that of Jammu region.
This was stated by the chief minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, while participating in a discussion over Human Rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir following an adjournment motion by leader of the opposition in JK's Assembly, Abdul Rahim Rather.
The chief minister also said that no custodial death or disappearance had occurred in Kashmir division during this year and though "two incidents had been reported from Jammu region." Azad gave the credit of the situation moving back to normalcy to all the governments since 1996.
Azad said that people were experiencing a sense of security while reiterated that government was committed to zero tolerance. The chief minister, however, explained that zero tolerance did not mean that such acts can not occur and instead was a commitment by the government that erring security forces personal shall be acted upon.
Presenting a statistical data of the number of rape and molestation across India, the chief minister said that annual rate of rape in Jammu and Kashmir was 250 as compared to a whooping national average of 18000 cases per year. "In Madhya Pradesh alone, 300 cases occur per year while in Assam 1200 such cases are recorded each year," Azad said adding that security forces were responsible for only four percent of such cases.
"Molestation average in J&K is 950 cases per year as compared to a national average of 3500 cases," the chief minister continued. The chief minister, however, admitted that molestation rate in Kashmir was seven times higher than that of Jammu region.
Reacting to the allegations by opposition leaders that zero tolerance commitment was not being fulfilled and that Human Rights violations were rampant with enquires ordered to probe the cases yielding no results, Azad said that Human Rights violations were being raised only as an election issue.
Participating in the debate earlier, opposition leader Abdul Rahim rather accused the government of turning a deaf ear to the recommendations of the State Human Rights Commission. "The recommendations of the state human rights should be implemented to curb the accesses by the security forces," rather said, adding that there was a need to make J&K police more accountable and answerable.
Senior National Conference leader, Ali Mohammad Sager raised the issue of enquiry commissions constituted from time to time saying that several enquiries instituted so far had revealed nothing regarding the accesses.
To this, the chief minister responded by saying that government was committed to its p[olicy of zero tolerance and that the investigation into the Ganderbal fake encounter case was a testimony to the fact.
Condemning the Bandipora incident where troopers were caught trying to molest a seventeen year old girl, Azad said that Army had already ordered a court martial in the incident.
Opposition leaders, however, reacted sharply to Azad's statement that troopers were responsible for only 4 percent of rape and molestation cases stating that a common man and a man in uniform could not be viewed equall
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