Visit different jails and see how Kashmiri’s are being treated, Engineer Rashid tells Indian Civil Society and Lawyers

Srinagar, April 14,): MLA Langate, Engineer Rasheed Sunday appealed lawyers, human rights activists and members of civil society all across India to take notice of sufferings of Kashmiri people and use their good offices and other possible ways and means to ensure that state terrorism comes to an end in the state of Jammu and Kashmir which has become like a ‘lawlessisland’ due to the misuse of power and draconian laws.Addressing at a two days National Consultation on Prison Legal Aid seminar, organized by Human Rights Law Network in New Delhi, Rashid said that Kashmiris have right to know that if India has hanged Afzal Guru, then why there is a selective treatment given when it comes to punishing state actors hailing from police and other security agencies who have send thousands of Kashmiris to the graveyard and are involved in heinous crimes like custodial killings, fake encounters,tortures, custodial disappearances during last 25 years just to gain promotions and rewards .He charged that task of dealing with militancy and law and order problems in J&K has become a most profitable industry for various security agencies. “It is unfortunate that you provide impunity to security forces in the name of so called nationalinterest and glorify their atrocities on innocent Kashmiris whom you claim to be your “Atoot Ang”. How can an act carried out by militants be more heinous than the same acts carried out by security forces? In fact, security forces have to be more answerable and responsible as they are governed by the law and are supposed to protect the life and property of people irrespective of their ideologies”, he added.Engineer Rashid said that lawyers fraternity should come forward and provide best possible legal aid to those ill fatted kashmiris languishing in different jails in India and are actually not involved in any crime but have become victim of security agencies, who just want to score points over each other and frighten their own citizens by crying that every Kashmiri is a terrorist.He also appealed lawyers and human rights activists to find some time to visit various jails like Koth-Balwal, Kathua, Amphalla, Hira Nagar, Tihar, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Allahbad, Ahmadabad and other jails and find the facts that howKashmiri prisoners are being barred from offering their religious prayers and are subjected to torture for petty things inside jails. He cited the example of torture on Kashmiri youth detained in Jaipur jail for allegedly indulging in some verbal argument with a Safai Karamchari there.MLA Langate also appealed the participants to help in ensuring that under trials are produced before court on due datesand adequate food and health facilities are provided to them, which they are being currently denied.The seminar was attended by prominent lawyers of supreme court, Lawyers hailing from 15 states across India, prominent Journalists, jail authorities of few major jails, members of civil society, Human rights activists hailing from different states of India and students from various universities