The family members of the disappeared youth, mostly females, during their silent-sit in castigated the successive governments for being indifferent towards their pain and agony.
The family members alleged that their dear ones have been subjected to enforced disappearances by the Indian forces and their related agencies from their homes, streets and even roads.
The members carrying placards and banners reading, ‘Where are our loved ones, ‘stop crime against humanity, what lies beneath?’ And pictures of the victims sought answers from the government over the enforced disappearances.
They vowed to continue their struggle till both the state and the central governments accepted their demand of impartial probe into the enforced disappearances and custodial killings.
“We have been fighting since last 28 years and we won’t stop until we get answers as to where the forces have kept those who were picked up by them,” said Parveena Ahangar, Chairman APDP.
According to conservative estimates, there are around 8,000-10,000 cases of involuntary and enforced disappearances in Kashmir mainly attributed to being the work of Indian security establishments since the onset of militancy.
After Kashmir erupted against the rigged elections of 1987, many Kashmiris picked up guns to fight against the Indian establishment. The Indian government too decided to deal with an iron fist against the uprising to put a curb on Kashmiris joining militancy. As the crackdown on militants started in the early 90s, jails and torture centres of different Indian security agencies in Kashmir became occupied with alleged militants and thousands of sympathisers picked up on mere suspicion of whom thousands are missing since then.
Mothers lost their sons, wives lost their husbands, sisters lost their brothers, and continue to remain in a dilemma over whether their loved ones are dead or alive.
“No one can understand the pain we are going through. Sometimes, we feel that our loved ones are alive and sometimes, we fear the worst. This feeling kills us every time we think about our dear ones who have been disappeared by the security forces,” said Parveena.
In 2011, APDP filed a petition at SHRC regarding investigations into disappearances of 132 persons of Banihal district. Recently, the government has admitted that 112 out of 132 of these men are ‘missing’.
Courtesy: Two Circles