PC's Observation On AFSPA Taken Cognizance: RPF lambasts Indian Army-I
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 11 2013:
The proscribed RPF has asserted that Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram's statement "if the Indian Army continues with its stubborn objection against all efforts to amend Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958, there is no point for the existence of a civilian Government" merits due analysis.
The Indian Finance Minister's statement made it clear that the Indian military has been violating human rights, observed the outfit in a press statement issued by its Publicity Secretary Roben Khuman.
The evolving controversy is a result of the Government of India's efforts initiated most unwillingly because of people's persistent demand to amend AFSPA.
Whereas the Indian military has been opposing any move to either repeal or amend AFSPA, the Indian Army have been trying to project themselves as an army committed to protection of human rights.
Referring to a claim of the Indian Army Chief as stated in the 65th Army Day at New Delhi that the Indian Army understand the ethics of warfare very well besides being one of the armies in the world who respect human rights the most, the outfit remarked that the Army Chief's statement has no truth.
When Indian Army were sent to Congo as a team of the UN peace keeping force, they raped Congolese women in hundreds.
The UN has already asked the Government of India to initiate legal action and punish all the accused army personnel, it alleged.
IPKF should be translated as 'Innocent People Killing Force' .
It is on records how the Indian Army brutalised Tamil people in Sri Lanka during a campaign to suppress LTTE.
When the Indian Army were accused of raping Tamil women, Brigadier Kahlon stated, "Indian Army are not angels.
Rape cases happen in western countries too" .
On October 12, 1987, IPKF attacked Kokuvail village and murdered 40 innocent people.
On October 21 same year, 68 innocent Tamils including doctors, nurses and staff of Jaffana Hospital were killed by IPKF at the hospital itself.
Dr Sivapathasuntharan who came to the hospital next day was also murdered.
In August 1989, IPKF again slaughtered 64 innocent Tamils at Velvettiturai.
The Amnesty International Report 1988 stated that IPKF raped seven women between January-December 1987 .
A book entitled "In the Name of Peace: IPKF Massacres of Tamil Civilians in Sri Lanka" which was compiled by the North East Secretariat in Human Right (NESoHR) was released by the Delhi Tamil Students' Union in April, 2011 .
The book gives a detail account of all the massacres and war crimes committed by IPKF against Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Countless number of similar cases of rape, murder of civilians, torture and forced disappearance have been taking place in Kashmir Valley since 1989 .
Between 1989 and 1999, the Indian military has orchestrated 3658 cases of forced disappearance.
There were 75 cases of rape and molest during the same period.
During a military operation in 2000, CRPF mowed down 35 people and this event is now known as Chittingsingpora Massacre, the outfit alleged.
According to a report brought out by the UN in 1994, around 882 women were raped by the Indian military between 1990 and 1996 .
Since the beginning of armed confrontation in Kashmir Valley, almost 11.6 per cent of Kashmiri women have been made victims of rape.
On September 18, 1990, a number of young girls were taken to an army camp where they were raped repeatedly for the whole day.
The girls never
returned home.
Again on February 23, 1991, Indian Army raped 23 women at Kunan Pushpora village right in front of their own children.
The rape victims included a 13 year old minor and an aged woman of 80.This was reported by Amnesty International in 1992 .
In 2000, the Indian Army murdered five civilians in the most brutal manner at Pathirbal, Anantnag district.
The dead men were dressed up in military fatigue and burnt.
The particular army officer who commanded the brutal murder was later conferred bravery award by the Indian authority, it alleged.
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