Srinagar: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 303 innocent Kashmiris including 9 women and 42 teenagers during the year 2016. According to the data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, 39 of those martyred were killed in custody. The killings by the troops rendered 25 women widowed and 58 children orphaned. Indian paramilitary and police personnel during house raids, crackdowns, firing, pellet and PAVA and teargas shelling subjected 19,011 civilians to torture, while 12,604 persons including Hurriyet leaders, activists, students, young boys and women leaders were arrested. Two Kashmiris went missing in custody after they were kidnapped by Indian police, while 658 women were disgraced or molested by the men in uniform during the year. Most of the killings and other incidents of human rights violations took place in the backdrop of killing of renowned commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani by Indian forces on July 8, last year. Tens of thousands of people came out on streets to protest against the killing. More than 200,000 people took part in his funeral prayers at Tral in South Kashmir. This began a tumultuous phase in the recent history of Kashmir when forces used excessive force to quell the uprising. The troops killed over 115 innocent people since the killing of Commander Burhan Wani. Over 150 were rendered completely blinded by the pellets fired by Indian forces since July 8. In the last month of December, the troops martyred 8 Kashmiris including three in custody. A woman is also among the dead. The killings rendered three women widowed and nine children orphaned in December. As many as 233 people were injured due to use of brute force, bullets and pellets by Indian troops and police personnel against peaceful protesters while three hundred civilians including Hurriyet leaders and activists were arrested in the month. Indian forces’ personnel destroyed twenty nine residential houses and disgraced seventeen women during the period.
