Kashmir News Weekly Roundup: 1/8-1/15
Exclusive:
Indian Forces will now train Hindu-militia groups in JK:
The Indian government has distributed weapons among the Hindu militia groups calling them Village Defence Guards (VDGs) in the Jammu division of Kashmir. These Hindu groups will also receive weapons training from the CRPF division of the Indian armed forces.
The Indian government provided 40 ex-servicemen automatic assault rifles on Monday after planning a false-flag operation in the Rajouri district. The militia groups had previously claimed that the VDC members possessed outdated weapons, could not fight effectively, and demanded automatic assault rifles.
According to sources, pistols were distributed among the Hindu militia and came with two magazines and 100 shots. Numerous villages in the Jammu division with a substantial Hindu population have sought guns since the Rajouri attack. Along the international border, in Jammu, Samba, and Kathua, militias called VDCs have also been activated and armed.
Exclusive:
Indian forces terrorizing family members of resistance activists
By arresting and imprisoning their relatives, the Kashmiri police, which are directly under the jurisdiction of New Delhi, have been terrorizing people who have previously participated actively in resistance groups. A local from Srinagar informed us that the police had threatened him and his family since their sister was set to wed someone who had once been a Hurriyat Conference member.
Safeer Ahmad (name changed) stated, “two days ago, the police came to our house and intimidated us and warned us not to move forward with the marriage because my sister’s intended husband had been a member of the Hurriyat.”
Another person from North Kashmir reported that the army broke into their home and looted the family’s possessions. After finalizing their son’s marriage to the daughter of someone charged under the PSA for aiding the resistance movement, the family was later intimidated and told to report to the army camp, where they were harassed for seven hours.
Exclusive:
Indian forces carry out mass civilian arrests of Muslims in Rajouri.
In connection with what it has referred to as the “investigation” of the bogus attack in Dhangri village of the Rajouri district, the Jammu and Kashmir police have detained over 50 Muslim men. According to police, “more than fifty persons from various areas of the district have been held so far, and their questioning is ongoing.”
Notably, two separate “fake attacks” carried out by Indian agencies last week in the Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir resulted in the deaths of seven civilians to demonize and discredit the armed resistance in Kashmir.
Following these murders, the district of Rajouri has become more militarized to harass the Muslim community. The Indian government also decided to send 1,800 more members of the armed forces to the area and arm Hindu militia groups (VDCs and VDGs) with automatic assault weapons.
Exclusive:
Indian Home Minster issues open threat to Kashmiris
On Friday, Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister of India, stated that occupying agencies would cast a 360-degree net to crush any opposition to Indian control in Kashmir. The home minister, flanked by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, announced that it had been resolved to enhance militarisation and the occupation grid on all fronts.
Shah added that the Indian military would eliminate not only armed resistance but also every form of intellectual backing and the “environment” that supports it in Kashmir. Shah stated that the decision to enhance Village Defence Committees had been made in August of last year and that there was no requirement for the action to be connected to the Rajouri event.
The Indian home minister arrived in Rajouri after splitting the community in the wake of a false attack and arming local Hindu militias. The territory was heavily militarised when the home minister arrived and is now severely split.
News Updates
Indian Agency on course to manage fake elections in Kashmir
The Election Commission of India (ECI) invited 57 recognized regional (state) political parties to take part in the RVM demonstration and discussion on “Improving voter participation of domestic migrants using remote voting” on January 16th in New Delhi. The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (JKPDP) from J&K are two of those parties.
The meeting’s purpose, according to an ECI communiqué, is to gather input from the recognized national and state political parties, who are the key participants in the electoral process, to effectively recommend any necessary legislative changes, administrative procedure changes, and voting method or technology – Remote Electronic Voting Machines – (RVMs).
More Jamat-e-Islami properties seized in South Kashmir
By using its agencies to seize additional assets owned by Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) members; the Indian government is escalating its campaign of repression against the group in J&K. In the South Kashmir Kulgam district, the imposed authorities have seized numerous assets belonging to the JeI.
India has been targeting members of JeI by pressing serious charges against them under PSA and UAPA since outlawing the organization. Indian state authorities like the NIA, SIA, CBI and Indian army have also conducted raids on the homes of persons associated with the organization.
Property of ‘arrested civilian’ attached in Nagabal
Tuesday saw the puppet authorities seize the belongings of a civilian who had already been detained and was held in Jammu’s Kot Bhalwal Jail as a fictitious “militant associate.”
On August 30, 2022, Usman Gulzar Wani, the son of Gulzar Ahmad of Hushangpora Nagabal, was taken into custody during a military operation in the Shopian village, which also resulted in the deaths of three combatants.
Hundreds of Kashmiris are currently detained on bogus charges in municipal and regional jails across India. Most of them lack the necessary resources to make a robust legal defense.
Six courts of trial designated for UAPA cases in Kashmir
For crimes under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA)-1967, the imposed administration of Jammu and Kashmir has notified six courts to hear cases brought under the UAPA in Kashmir’s ten districts.
India has filed serious charges under the PSA and UAPA against Kashmiri resistance leaders, journalists, writers, and civilians. Mass arrests have continued as the number of false cases filed daily has been continously rising. The government now requires extra courts to hear these cases due to the enormous size of these arrests.
