Stop the killing in Kashmir, AI tells India

Amnesty International has called on India to take immediate steps to protect and respect human rights in Kashmir and to investigate the killings of demonstrators by police.

As the death toll in the recent unrest in Kashmir reached 100, the London-based human rights group urged New Delhi to order security forces not to use firearms against demonstrators on Saturday, AFP reported.

“Security forces should use the minimum force necessary to defend themselves or others against an imminent threat of death or serious injury. They should not employ intentional lethal use of firearms except where such use is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

Two young men were killed when police opened fire on protesters blocking a key highway in Palhalan village, north of Srinagar city on Saturday. Ghulam Ahmed Tantray a resident in Palhalan, said, “They [police] didn’t even try to disperse the protest with tear gas or a baton charge. They fired directly without any provocation.”

The All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC), one of the largest political formations in Jammu and Kashmir, has called for more public protests on Tuesday.

Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani has called for protesters to block police and army camps with peaceful sit-ins, starting next Tuesday, which could be a new challenge to security forces struggling to restore order.

The protests began in late May over the reported execution of three young men by the Indian Army at Machil in Baramulla district.

Protests increased after another man was killed by police in Srinagar during a demonstration on June 11.

They have intensified during repeated cycles of protests and killings of demonstrators by security forces.