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Written by: Press Trust of Kashmir

Created: 25 February 2019

SRINAGAR: Petition in Supreme Court today questions withdrawal of over 9000 FIRs against stone pelters by the Jammu & Kashmir government. Amid a raging national debate on the safety of Army and paramilitary personnel deployed in strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir, the Supreme Court, on Monday (February 25), issued notices to the Centre, J&K government and the National Human Rights Commission on a petition seeking protection for the jawans from stone-pelters.

The petition also challenges the J&K government’s controversial decision of withdrawing over 9000 FIRs that had been filed against Kashmiri people, especially the youth, for their alleged involvement in stone-pelting incidents. The apex court bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna agreed to examine the petition filed by two youths – 19-year-old Preeti Kedar Gokhale and 20-year-old Kajal Mishra – which sought directives for protection of human rights of the security force personnel deployed in India’s northern-most state.

The NHRC had, last week, taken cognisance of a complaint filed by three children of Army officers alleging violation of human rights of the force’s personnel in recent incidents of stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement issued on Monday, the NHRC said the complainants have also sought its “intervention for an appropriate enquiry into the incident of stone-pelting and assault by an unruly and disruptive mob on Army personnel in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on January 27.”

The notices by the Supreme Court have been issued at a time when the Valley is once again hit by upheaval in wake of the recent attack in Pulwama in which 44 CRPF men were killed. In their complaint, the petitioners have said they were “disturbed” by the recent incidents of stone-pelting and assaults by mobs on security forces.

The NHRC has observed that in view of the facts narrated and allegations levelled in the complaint, “it will be appropriate to call for a factual report from the Ministry of Defence, through its secretary, to know the present status of the situation and steps taken by the Union government on the points raised by the complainants regarding alleged humiliation and violation of the human rights of the Army personnel in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.” A communication has been sent to the defence secretary, seeking a report in four weeks.