CASR calls for immediate end to alleged human rights violations in Kashmir

By A Representative

The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has demanded an immediate end to what it calls unlawful detentions, custodial torture, extrajudicial killings, and fake encounters in Jammu and Kashmir. The appeal follows a series of recent incidents that have raised concerns over human rights violations in the region.

On February 5, 2025, a 25-year-old man, Makhan Din, from Billawar, Jammu and Kashmir, died after being questioned by the police. While authorities stated that he was released after interrogation and later took his own life, allegations of custodial torture leading to his death have emerged. The police claim Makhan was an overground worker (OGW) associated with a militant group involved in the July 2024 Badnotta Army Convoy attack. However, CASR and other critics have questioned why he was allowed to go home if he was linked to such a serious offense.

The region has seen heightened tensions following another incident on the same day in Baramulla, where Waseem Ahmad Mir, a civilian truck driver, was shot dead by the army. Officials stated he failed to stop at a checkpoint, but activists allege the killing was unjustified. Additionally, on February 5, police detained 500 people in a massive crackdown following the killing of a retired military personnel and the injury of his wife in an alleged militant attack.

CASR argues that human rights violations in Kashmir have intensified since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in 2019, which stripped the region of its special status. The group claims that enforced disappearances, custodial killings, and restrictions on democratic protests have increased, with journalists also facing intimidation.

The organization has urged democratic groups and individuals to raise their voices against what it describes as state repression in Kashmir. It has called for an end to extrajudicial killings and the protection of human rights in the region.

Authorities have not yet responded to CASR's latest demands.

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