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| IPTK urges CM to facilitate independent Shopian probe Seeks access to documents, evidence | | |
Early Times report
Jammu, Jan 4: The International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice (IPTK) has sought Chief Minister’s permission to inquire into the death of Asiya Jan and Neelofar Jan of Shopian in May 2009.
The IPTK was launched in April 2008 in Srinagar by the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) to undertake an in-depth study of militarization and its impact on human rights and to `unveil and uphold the truth’.. It has four conveners. Prominent among them are Dr Angana Chatterjee Professor, Anthropology, California Institute of Integral Studies
Gautaum Navlakha a Delhi based activist and Advocate Parvez Imroz who also heads the JKCCS),an amalgam of twelve organizations.
The IPTK has written to the Chief Minister on the contention that state institutions, and the investigations authorized by them, have been unable to deliver an accurate understanding of the matter or define a mechanism for justice.
The Majlis-e-Mushwarat, a body that superheaded the Shopian agitation last year wrote a formal letter to the IPTK requesting it to probe the tragic Shopian incident. The IPTK proposes to undertake an in-depth analysis by internationally reputed anthropological, forensic, legal, and medical experts of all relevant documents prepared by state
institutions.
The IPTK also intends to undertake archival and applied research into the context and course of events, and examination and collection of testimonies from the families of the
deceased, local community members, relevant experts, police, security forces, and state officials, and the uncovering of possible new evidence, utilizing rigorous and ethical methodological standards.
Reminding the Chief Minister of his commitment to human rights, the IPTK has sought physical access to all relevant Central Reserve Police Force and army camps, and police stations in Shopian district.
Access to documents assembled and prepared by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir that form the evidentiary basis of the state’s conclusions on the Shopian event, including forensic reports and the testimonials rendered by security forces and state officials has also been sought.
The IPTK has also sought access to police and security forces personnel, and medical ersonnel that testified to the commission of inquiry headed by Justice (Retired) Muzaffar Jan between May-July 2009. This includes access to officers of the Special Investigating Team (SIT) of police that collaborated with the Jan Commission following its interim report, said a spokesman of the IPTK.
The spokesman said the IPTK wants free access to local officers that assisted the Central Bureau of Investigation in its inquiry between September-December 2009.
”That any witnesses that elect to testify to the IPTK process be permitted to do so without duress, or adverse consequences being threatened or befalling them, from personnel or institutions of the state”, the spokesman demanded.
The IPTK is known in Kashmir and world over for its work on `unmarked and mass graves in Jammu Kashmir’. Two reports `Facts Underground’ and `Buried Evidence’ have been released by the APTK till date.
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