Kashmir News Weekly Roundup: 3/12-3/19
Exclusive:
Army subjects civilians to torture in Pulwama
In the vicinity of the Padghampora neighborhood in the district of Pulwama, the Indian army held about 40 individuals in detention. The men who had been jailed barely had the words to describe the brutality they had gone through after being freed last week.
A local said that “two boys were thrown out of the camp nude and unconscious after being interrogated for days” and that the village women had taken them home because no male members dared to approach the army camp. Another minor added, “the army personnel asked me if I am sorry or glad about the soldier’s death on February 28th, to which I didn’t react”. The army personnel immediately used pliers to remove his tooth.
Exclusive:
Indian army raids houses to seize religious books in South Kashmir
In South Kashmir’s district Kulgam, the Khudweni region has been the target of raids by the Indian military. The Indian army seizes religious texts expressly authored by or from scholars of Jamat-e-Islami, Hurriyat, and Ikhwan-ul-Muslimeen (Egypt) and examines the homes and obtains information on the family members.
“The military forces stormed our whole house, and after beating me up, they confiscated my literature worth over 90 thousand rupees ($1,100)”, stated a local expert presently studying for his Doctorate in Islamic Studies. The scholar’s father was interrogated for hours during the nighttime raid and instructed to procure some “Indian and Western literature” for his son to read.
News Updates:
Indian authorities continue to grab land in campaigns across occupied Kashmir
Through schemes that encourage the outsourcing of assets and the transfer of land to various ministries in the disputed area, India continues to devastate and pillage Kashmir’s natural resources. The recommendations of several departments for transferring land throughout Kashmir were authorized by the puppet Administrative Council, which convened under the command of the Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha.
Harassment of Kashmiris continues in India, youth detained in Bihar
Last week, a Kashmiri teenager was taken into custody in Katihar, Bihar, for reportedly “roaming suspiciously.” The young man is named Nasir Waza, a citizen of Kashmir’s Budgam area.
Waza was detained under the “suspicious activities uncovered through intelligence-based input,” according to a top police official from Bihar. His father, a resistance fighter, was martyred by the Indian military in Kashmir. This is not the first time a Kashmiri has been hurt or taken into custody. Kashmiris who work or study in India regularly experience harassment and attacks from mobs and the Indian government’s agencies and police because of their religion, nationality, and support for the resistance movement.
Indian woman arrested for kidnapping minor in Central Kashmir
On Thursday, Budgam district police in Jammu and Kashmir detained an Indian woman for stealing a child. The arrested woman was later identified as Chidi Devi, Khana Ram’s wife, a native of Dhannasar in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.
According to a police statement, “Police Station Khag got information that one woman in the hamlet of Dalwash, Khag kidnapped a child around four years.” According to the statement, the woman hid the youngster beneath her scarf when the locals became suspicious and called the police. “A police party of police station Khag raced to the location along with women police officers and rescued the abducted boy from the hands of a non-local woman and detained her on the spot,” continues the statement.
Civilian property seized in North Kashmir Handwara
Mohammad Abdullah Mir, a resident of Yaroo and the son of Khazir Mohd Mir, had his property taken by the imposed authorities on Friday after being accused of ‘giving militants refuge and logistical support.’ According to a statement from the police, an order to seize property pursuant to Section 25 of the UA(P) Act was carried out today at Yaroo.
Attacks on the homes of individuals connected to Kashmir’s resistance movement often occur there. During the last few months, many Government authorities have attached and seized hundreds of Jamat-e-Islami assets.
Indian forces conducted mass raids across occupied Kashmir.
Regular attacks targeting Kashmiri citizens are still being conducted. India has been carrying out these searches using its NIA, SIA, CBI, SIU, and armed forces to persecute Kashmiris based on false claims.
In connection with an investigation into a case filed with the SIA, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) conducted searches at many sites on Saturday in the central and southern regions of Kashmir.
Investigators conducted raids in Srinagar, Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian, and other areas with the help of the local police and CRPF. The SIA also searched the home of Sarjan Ahmed Wagay, aka Barkati, the son of Abdul Raziq Wagay and a resident of Reben Zainapora in the Shopian neighborhood.
