Advocate seeks NHRC indulgence in 'killings of minority' in J-K

An advocate practising in the Supreme Court has filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on violation of human rights of minority Hindus and Sikhs in Kashmir and sought the indulgence of the commission towards the "heart-wrenching plight of the minorities."

Alakh Alok Srivastava, Advocate-on-Record at Supreme Court in its application submitted that in the last one week, four innocent civilians belonging to the minority Hindu/Sikh communities have been brutally killed in targeted killings in Kashmir.

He has mentioned incidents of killing of Makhan Lal Bindroo and Virendar Paswan on October 5 and Satinder Kaur and Deepak Chand were killed on October 7.

He said, "as per the media reports, on October 7, few terrorists entered into Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Idgah, Sangam, Srinagar in broad daylight, separated Muslim teachers after checking their Identity (ID) Cards, dragged away Satinder Kaur and Deepak Chand and brutally killed both of them inside their school premise, at point-blank range."

"In the instant case, the aforesaid targeted killings have caused immense agony and panic amongst the minority Hindu and Sikh residents of Kashmir (J&K), which has, in turn, triggered a fresh wave of exodus of Hindus and Sikhs from Kashmir, something which has not been witnessed since the onset of terrorism in Kashmir in the 1990s. As per the media reports, many Kashmiri Hindus and Sikhs, who even withstood the 1990s exodus, have started leaving Kashmir after targeted killings of the minorities. This has resulted in large scale human rights violations of the Hindu and Sikh minority residents of Kashmir," the advocate said.

He said that even otherwise, the Sikh and Hindu minorities of Jammu and Kashmir are living in constant fear and insecurity, which is in flagrant violation of their rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity.

"The aforesaid human rights violations are, inter-alia, attributable to the negligence and failure of the Jammu and Kashmir administration in protecting the Hindu and Sikh minority residents of Kashmir," the advocate said.

He has sought appropriate steps for the protection of human rights of the minority Hindu and Sikh residents of Kashmir.

He has urged the Commission to call for a comprehensive report from "the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir" about the flagrant violation of the human rights, targeted killings and exodus of minority Hindu and Sikh residents of Kashmir (J&K), including the "detailed reasons of negligence" on the part of the authorities in prevention of such violations and "proposed remedial action" in this regard.

Advocate Srivastava has sought to review the factors, including acts of terrorism, that inhibit the enjoyment of human rights of the minority Hindu and Sikh residents of Kashmir and recommend appropriate remedial measures.

Advocate Srivastava has urged NHRC to direct the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, "to provide adequate police protection to the Hindu and Sikh residents of Kashmir" and to direct the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, "to provide compensation/ damages of Rs 1 crore each to the family members of the abovenamed deceased persons, who have been brutally killed in targeted killings" in Kashmir (J&K) in the last week.

( With inputs from ANI )