Rights groups seek UN probe
Tens of thousands of people in Indian Kashmir have been subjected to torture in the past three decades, according to a report released yesterday by two prominent human rights groups which called for a UN investigation.
The report said at least 40 people in 432 case studies researched died "as a result of injuries received during torture."
The Indian government declined to make an immediate comment on the claims by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons and the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society. Officials said authorities would study the allegations first.
Kashmir is marking the 30th anniversary of an uprising which has left tens of thousands dead, mainly civilians.
The Muslim majority Himalayan region has been divided between Pakistani and Indian sectors since their independence in 1947 and both claim it in full.
Kashmir civilians have been systematically tortured by the Indian state to curb dissent, said the report titled: "Torture: Indian State's Instrument of Control in Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmir."
While past scandals involving US prisons at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib in Iraq had received international attention, "torture remains hidden in Jammu and Kashmir, where tens of thousands of civilians have been subjected to it," said a statement issued by the groups.
The report said the 432 individuals investigated had been subjected to water-boarding, beatings with iron rods and leather belts and electric shocks to the genitals.
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