Mass graves in Kashmir exposes atrocities by Indian forces

There are over 1,000 unmarked graves across a dozen villages in the area around the town of Uri. The grave sites are believed to contain the remains of victims of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other abuses which occurred in the context of armed conflict persisting in the state since 1989. The Indian army and militants have been accused of numerous human rights abuses in Kashmir over the past two decades.

The Amnesty International has called for "prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigations for about 1,000 unmarked graves found in the Kashmir valley". Sadly, the police in Indian-administered Kashmir rejected their demand for action to identify the bodies. The inspector general of police in the Kashmir valley, SM Sahai, said police had investigated all cases of disappearances reported to them and had registered cases for investigation wherever necessary.

While referring to mass graves the villagers said they have no idea who they were and that the police told them the men were foreign militants killed in fighting with the Indian troops.

The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) reported that more than 8,000 people have disappeared in Kashmir over the past two decades. They fear their relatives who disappeared in the restive region might have been buried in those graves.

The human rights abuses and atrocities by Indian occupied forces in Kashmir is not a new story, but sadly international community and international human rights organizations are taking no notice of it since long. The disclosure of these mass graves and atrocities of Indian occupied forces in Indian held Kashmir must be exposed to the world community and it also requires world-wide condemnation!!!