Rights group slams Modi regime for handling IIOJK situation, grant of powers to Lt. Governor
New Delhi: The Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir led by a group of concerned citizens has criticized the Modi-led Indian government for its handling of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, citing rising violence, the ongoing arrests of students, journalists, lawyers and businessmen under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Public Safety Act and high unemployment rates.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Forum while releasing a report at a meeting in New Delhi expressed concern over the grant of powers to the Lieutenant-Governor, which could limit the capacity of an elected set-up in the territory.
“There are worrying indications of pre-emptive actions to limit an elected administration’s capacity to/govern even before legislative assembly elections are held. The new administrative rules issued on July 12, 2024, allocate key powers over the police, bureaucracy, attorney-general and prosecutorial services to the L-G, setting up a potential standoff between the elected administration on one side, and a nominated authority, civil and police services on the other, as happened in Delhi,” the report said.
It added that the new rules also cast doubt on whether Statehood will be restored, when and in which form. “The new rules suggest the …administration is contemplating a Delhi-type hybrid instead.”
Over 2,700 people were booked under the UAPA and PSA between 2020 and December 2023, 1,100 of them as ‘overground workers’.
The Forum also noted the economic struggles of the territory, including the impact of imported goods on local farmers and the high rate of drug abuse.
Furthermore, the Forum criticized the delay in announcing the dates for the Legislative Assembly elections, which has led to speculation about the election being postponed beyond the Indian Supreme Court’s deadline of September 30, 2024.
The Forum formed after August 5, 2019, when the special status of IIOJK was scrapped by the Modi regime. Former Indian Home Secretary G.K Pillai and Radha Kumar, former member, Group of Interlocutors for J&K, chair the Forum while Justice Ruma Pal, former judge of the Supreme Court of India; Justice A.P. Shah, former Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts; Justice Bilal Nazki, former Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court; Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary; Major-General Ashok Mehta (retd), Air Vice-Marshal Kapil Kak (retd), and Lieutenant-General H.S. Panag (retd) are its members.
