Tarigami condemns mass arrests, house demolitions in IIOJK
Says arbitrary crackdown only fuels anger, alienation
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami has voiced serious concern over the large-scale arrests and demolition of residential houses in the territory, saying such actions violate the rule of law and amount to collective punishment.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Tarigami, while referring to the mass arrests carried out across IIOJK following the killing of an Indian police head constable, said the response of Indian forces and agencies must remain within the framework of the Constitution and the rule of law.
While condemning the killing, he cautioned the authorities against resorting to arbitrary action in its aftermath. He said evidence-based investigations were the only effective way to identify and apprehend those responsible, adding that past experience had shown that indiscriminate arrests neither enhanced security nor advanced the cause of peace. Instead, he said, such actions only fuel resentment and alienation among the people.
“Violence cannot be defeated by violating the rights of innocent people. Unabated harassment only breeds anger and alienation,” Tarigami said.
He also criticized the recurring practice of re-arresting individuals who had previously been detained and later released whenever such incidents occurred, describing the approach as arbitrary, unjustified and contrary to the principles of justice.
Expressing concern over the growing “bulldozer trend”, Tarigami said demolishing the residential houses of families remotely connected with accused persons amounted to collective punishment. He noted that the Indian Supreme Court had laid down clear guidelines prohibiting the demolition of residential properties without due process, including prior notice and an opportunity to be heard, and urged the authorities to adhere to those safeguards.
“The responsibility of the government is to provide shelter to its citizens, not to deprive them of their homes without due legal process. Upholding the rule of law is the hallmark of a constitutional democracy,” he said.
Tarigami also called for the release of Kashmiri political detainees lodged in prisons outside IIOJK or, alternatively, their transfer to jails within the occupied territory to enable their families to meet them without undue hardship.
