Coordination of Democratic Rights Organization denounces the arrest of Khurram Parvez on the intervening night of 15-16 September at 12.30 AM from his house at Srinagar. He had returned from Delhi in the very morning of 15th September after being detained for nearly two hours and prevented from travelling to Geneva for the UN Human Rights Council’s meeting.
Khurram Parvez is chairpersons of Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and Coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies. Reports say that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti was not aware of the arrest. J&K Police have refused to specify the charge against him and it is unofficially said that he has been taken into Preventive Detention. We fear his detention under the draconian Public Safety Act, which has seen thousands of Kashmiri people suffered under years of detention without being charge-sheeted for having committed any crime.
His arrest is a signal to the civil society in J&K to become mute over the gross and egregious atrocities inflicted on the people and violation of all International Humanitarian Laws and India’s Constitutional rights. The spree of killings since July 08, 2016, has seen 84 dead, blinding by pellet guns of more than 200, injuries caused to more than 12,000 persons, night raids, arrests of more than 1000 persons, and now the renewal of dreadful Army operations “Calm Down” in South Kashmir. These are all hallmark of a ruthless and illegitimate authority trying to yet against militarily suppress a people whose eminently democratic demand is for exercising their right of self-determination.
Crimes and acts of brutality committed by the Indian State were documented by JKCCS, through their rigorous research and analysis was brought before the public. Their reports on Mass Graves, Enforced Disappearances, Massacres, Rapes, Custodial killings etc are testimony to their labour. They took up and fought case legally by moving the judiciary, as they did in the Handwara girl case recently which exposed the police leadership for their torture of a juvenile girl in their illegal custody. It is to silence such voices from highlighting the brutal military operations currently underway in Kashmir, is why Indian State is cracking down on them. Our rulers are scared that Truth will singe them and therefore, do not want the Indian public to know anything about what the soldiers are being made to do to crush the civil disobedience by the populace.
We appeal to the India’s democratic minded that their silence and conspicuous absence of outrage over the crimes inflicted on people in Kashmir and the arbitrary arrests, an ongoing saga, is encouraging the Indian State and its clones in the media from persisting with their sinister policy and distorting the real story of J&K people’s struggle against oppression and manipulative politics for 68 years. If all this seven decades of military suppression have not erased the demand for referendum we urge everyone to take heed of this un-suppressible mood of the people. We therefore appeal to Indians democratic minded to stand up against oppression and in support of right of self determination by all the ‘state subjects’ of Jammu and Kashmir, so as to bring to a close India’s horrific seven decade old record of crimes committed against the people.
Therefore, we demand:
1. Khurram Parvez’s unconditional release;
2. Withdraw all legal immunity given to security forces;
3. Ban use of pellet guns;
4. Release all the arrested;
5. Restore civil liberties of the people
6. Begin the process of de-militarization
7. Begin the political process for ascertaining the democratic will of all the people of J&K.
Signed by
Coordinators of CDRO: C. Chandrasekhar (CLC, Andhra Pradesh), Asish Gupta (PUDR, Delhi), Pritpal Singh (AFDR, Punjab), Phulendro Konsam (COHR, Manipur) and Tapas Chakraborty (APDR, West Bengal).
Constituent Organisations: Association for Democratic Rights (AFDR, Punjab), Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR, West Bengal); Asansol Civil Rights Association, West Bengal; Bandi Mukti Committee (BMC, West Bengal); Civil Liberties Committee (CLC, Andhra Pradesh); Civil Liberties Committee (CLC, Telangana); Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR, Maharashtra); Committee for Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR, Tamil Nadu); Coordination for Human Rights (COHR, Manipur); Human Rights Forum (HRF, Andhra Pradesh & Telengana); Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti (MASS, Assam); Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR); Organisation for Protection of Democratic Rights (OPDR, Andhra Pradesh); Peoples’ Committee for Human Rights (PCHR, Jammu and Kashmir); Peoples Democratic Forum (PDF, Karnataka); Jharkhand Council for Democratic Rights (JCDR, Jharkhand); Peoples Union For Democratic Rights (PUDR, Delhi); Peoples Union for Civil Rights (PUCR, Haryana), Campaign for Peace & Democracy in Manipur (CPDM), Delhi.
