23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Annual Report 2006 ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17222]

"Politically motivated violence slightly decreased but torture, deaths in custody and “disappearances” continued to be reported. At least 38 people were reported to have died in custody. In January, the Minister of State for Home Affairs stated that some 600 people, including 174 foreigners, were held under the Public Safety Act (PSA), a preventive detention law. In October 44 detainees were released but new detentions were reported. Several people had been held under the PSA for over 10 years under successive PSA detention orders. Farooq Ahmad Dar was detained in November under his ninth consecutive PSA order. He had been in continuous detention under the PSA since 1991. Civilians were repeatedly targeted by state agencies and armed groups. In May, armed fighters threw a grenade just as children were leaving their school in Srinagar, killing two women who had come to pick up children and injuring 50 others, including 20 pupils. In July, four juveniles aged between 11 and 15 were shot dead by paramilitary Rashtriya Rifles in Kupwara district. Local people said that the boys had participated in a marriage party and gone for a stroll but ran away when ordered to stop. They said that the army had been informed of possible movements of people attending the party late at night. In September, the State Human Rights Commission, which had registered 3,187 cases of human rights violations since its inception in 1991, reiterated its earlier complaint that government departments failed to implement its recommendations."

Document(s): Open document

10.02.2005 - Source: BBC News

Assam: Assam Rifles soldier who allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl, arrested along with 2 local women who helped him in the crime ("Indian soldier in child rape case") [#28911],  [ID 7817]

Document(s): Open document

12.12.2004 - Source:

Background information on Rashtriya Rifles [ID 7818]

"The Rashtriya Rifles was raised by former chief of Army staff General B C Joshi in 1990 for the exclusive role of fighting insurgency in Kashmir. In 1993, the Indian army expanded its role in the Kashmir Valley when it deployed the Rashtriya Rifles. The 36-battalion formation, a light elite counterinsurgency force, was formed specifically to compensate for weak and untrustworthy local police and increasingly well-armed insurgents in Kashmir. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

12.12.2004 - Source:

Background information on Assam Rifles [ID 7819]

"Assam Rifles is a Para Military Organisation of the Ministry of Home Affairs [MHA] functioning under the administrative and operational control of the Army. The personnel are recruited into this force on all India basis at different places within the age group of 18 years to 23 years. Unlike Army, the personnel of Assam Rifles can serve upto the age of 60 years.
[...]"

Document(s): Open document

13.10.2004 - Source: Asian Centre for Human Rights

Andhra Pradesh: The government of Indian State of Andhra Pradesh launches serious attempt to find a negotiated settlement with the People's War Group (PWG) ("ACHR Review: Guns and Talks in India's Wretched of the Earth") [#26392],  [ID 7822]

"[...]In a reply to the Starred Question No. 425 on 25 August 2004, the present Minister of State for Home, Sri Prakash Jaiswal told Rajya Sabha that the Central Government has adopted a three pronged strategy to tackle the problem of Naxalism: "(i) modernization and strengthening of State Police forces, long term deployment of Para Military forces, sustained intelligence based well-coordinated anti-naxalite operations, (ii) focused attention on integrated development of the affected areas, and (iii) removal of socio cultural alienation of people, gearing up of public grievances redressal system and creation of Local Resistance Groups".

[...]In order to tackle the Naxalites, the State government of Andhra Pradesh imposed Disturbed Areas Act which provides the extraordinary powers for arbitrary arrests and detention. Extrajudicial executions have been part of anti-Naxalite operations. The Andhra Pradesh Police reportedly established an armed vigilante group known as the "Green Tigers," whose mission is to combat Naxalite groups in the state.
[...]"

Document(s): Open document
Open document

10.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

Paramilitary forces ("Country Report - October 2004") [#28325],  [ID 7820]

"[...]5.42 As cited in the CIA World Factbook, updated 11 May 2004, the military consists of the army, navy, air force, Coast Guard, various security or paramilitary forces (including Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force and Defence Security Corps). [...]"

Document(s): Open document

10.2004 - Source: UK Home Office

State police in Kashmir ("Country Report - October 2004") [#28325],  [ID 7821]

"[...]6.170 According to an Amnesty International Report 1999, under the National Conference State Government, the State police was restructured, strengthened from 38,000 to 50,000 men and prepared for a counter-insurgency role. The Special Operations Group (SOG), earlier known as the Special Task Force, was given more and better communications and transport facilities, training by security agencies and a supplement of some 12,000 Special Police Officers (SPOs) and local people, including many renegades with good local knowledge and links in the population. Police security operations against the militants became proactive, particularly after the BJP Government came to power in 1998. The new Union Government expressed a will to adopt a proactive approach to what were described as “infiltrators and Pakistani and Afghan mercenaries” carrying out the armed struggle in Jammu and Kashmir. “Security forces were called upon to initiate operations against members of armed opposition groups rather than react to attacks initiated by them.” [3f] (p5-6) [...]"

Document(s): Open document

20.08.2004 - Source: BBC News

Manipur: a woman suspected of helping separatists was allegedly raped and killed by Assam Rifles paramilitaries/ at least 30 protesters, who are demanding the lifting of a federal anti-terror law, arrested ("Crackdown on Manipur protesters") [#24869],  [ID 7823]

Document(s): Open document

12.08.2004 - Source: BBC News

Manipur: a woman raped and killed by soldiers in the village of Bamon Kampu/ protesters demanding that killers be brought to justice ("Midnight knock and a killing too far") [#24698],  [ID 7824]

Document(s): Open document

11.08.2004 - Source: BBC News

Manipur: more than 25 people have been injured after police used force to break up a demonstration for withdrawal of an anti-terror law in Imphal ("Many injured in Manipur protest") [#24605],  [ID 7825]

Document(s): Open document

05.08.2004 - Source: BBC News

Kashmir: 9 Indian policemen have been killed and 9 injured in an attack by suspected militants in the camp of India's Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF) in Srinagar ("Nine die in Kashmir camp attack") [#24604],  [ID 7826]

Document(s): Open document

21.07.2004 - Source: BBC News

Manipur: Police in India's north-eastern Manipur state have fired tear-gas at protesters who claimed a woman had been raped and murdered in paramilitary custody ("Protest at Manipur woman's death") [#24199],  [ID 7827]

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Green Tigers ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 7828]

"[...]During the year, in Andhra Pradesh, the Disturbed Areas Act was not in force. Human rights groups alleged that security forces were able to operate with virtual impunity under the act. They further alleged that Andhra Pradesh police officers trained and provided weapons to an armed vigilante group known as the "Green Tigers," whose mission was to combat the Naxalite group in the state. Little was known about the size, composition, or activities of this group. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Countermilitants/Special Operations Group (SOG) ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19765],  [ID 7830]

"[...]Killings and abductions of suspected militants and other persons by progovernment countermilitants continued to be a significant problem in Jammu and Kashmir. Countermilitants were members of police auxiliary units consisting of former separatists who surrendered to government forces, but who retained their weapons and paramilitary organization. Government agencies funded, exchanged intelligence with, and directed the operations of countermilitants as part of the counterinsurgency effort. Allegations of violations by the Special Operations Group (SOG), special anti-insurgency police units which in the past have operated outside the law, continued throughout the year. For example, on November 12, the SOG entered the home of Bashir Ahmad Sheikh, who was allegedly killed in an "encounter" in July, and beat his mother and sisters. In March, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammed Sayeed told the Legislative Assembly that the SOG was disbanded; however, at year's end, there has been no sign that disbandment of the SOG had taken place. SOG members who earlier acted independently had been subordinated to regular police units. Fifty-three members of the SOG had been charged with human rights violations and 25 were removed from duty but have not been arrested or charged with any crime. In December, there were reports of protests in several districts in Jammu and Kashmir after former SOG members were appointed to positions in the uniformed police. Countermilitants searched persons at roadblocks (see Section 2.d.) and guarded large areas of the Kashmir Valley. The Government, through its sponsoring and condoning of extrajudicial countermilitant activities, was responsible for killings, abductions, and other abuses committed by these groups. According to journalists in Srinagar, as many as 1,200 countermilitants continued to operate in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the countryside. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

08.2002 - Source: European Reintegration Networking

Background information on India (including procedures for entrance, supply and care, health, education, work opportunies,...) ("Background information on India (including procedures for entrance, supply and care, health, education, work opportunies,...)") [#28646],  [ID 7829]

"[...]Neben der Armee gibt es zwölf paramilitärische Einheiten, die unterschiedlichen Ministerien untergeordnet sind (1994: ca. 692.500 Mitglieder). Diese Spezialeinheiten bewachen die Küste, die Grenzen und sensible militärische Gebiete. Sie werden auch von der Zentralregierung entsandt, um die Polizei beispielsweise bei regionalen Aufständen zu unterstützen. Dem Verteidigungsministerium untergeordnet sind die Coast Guard Organisation und die Defence Security Force. Letztere hat die Aufgabe, landesweit Einrichtungen des Verteidigungsministeriums zu beschützen. Die Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, die Indo-Tibetan Border Police, die Assam Rifles und die Rashtriya Rifles unterstehen dem Innenministerium. Die Border Security Force bewacht vor allem die LoC in Kaschmir sowie die Grenzen zu Bangladesch und Myanmar. Im Kaschmir sind ebenfalls die Rashtriya Rifles und die Central Reserve Police Force, die älteste paramilitärische Einheit (seit 1939) ständig im Einsatz. Weitere Spezialeinheiten sind die Special Frontier Force> unter dem Büro des Premierministers und die Railway Protection Force unter dem Eisenbahn-Ministerium. [...]"

Document(s): Open document