STRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE

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| Structures of Violence
crackdowns, intimidation and violence. Across the cases
the army personnel and their ofcers lead the police and
government gunmen as they commit crimes of extrajudicial
executions, torture, enforced disappearances
and sexual violence. Whether it was the Gharwal Ries,
the Mahar regiment or the Rajputana Ries, and
whether it was Major Sinha or Major Kambli, the army
stationed at Palhallan was at the forefront, and clearly in
control of, civilian agents of violence. Therefore, even in
the raids conducted by army ofcers, government
gunmen were included. Witness B's testimony is
particularly strong with regard to receiving a direct order
from Major Sinha to kill a HM militant [a command which
he managed to avoid].
Also on record is the testimony of Showkat Ahmad alias
Shoga [Testimony no.6] where on two occasions he was
arrested due to information provided by government
gunmen. In the rst case, he was arrested after a falling
out with his commander – Athar. He states that after a
confrontation, his commander stayed in the Chaksari
camp and arranged for his and another person's arrest
and detention. On the second instance, a government
gunman named Rashid himself cames to Showkat's
house [on the information of a neighbor], brought him
out and got him arrested by the army.
The different forces operating over Pattan are brought
out by the testimony of Reyaz Ahmad Farhat [Testimony
no.23] where he states :
My father was an active member of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Like many other activists of Jamaat, my father was also
arrested many times by State forces.
My father was first arrested in 1987 by the police from his
house and jailed in Hira Nagar Jail, Jammu for two years.
After his release, he was again arrested on 26 July 1989
by BSF from Wusan market. He was taken to Old Airport,
Rangreth, a detention center, where he was kept for two
months and later shifted to Hari Niwas, a notorious
torture center. In Hari Niwas he was detained for three
months during which he was tortured. Then he was
shifted to Kot Bhalwal Jail, Jammu and detained there
for one and a half year.
In 1994, for the first time, a military camp comprising
Garhwal Rifles was established in the Palhallan area. As
soon as the camp was established the soldiers began
raids at our house twice a day. The daily raids forced my
father and Mohammad Maqbool, another Jamaat
activist living in same area, to migrate to Srinagar. My
father started living with his relatives at Bemina while
Mohammad Maqbool stayed at Hawal in downtown
Srinagar. However, there was no let up in the raids.
Along with Garhwal Rifles, the raids were conducted by
government gunmen particularly Mohammad Shaban
Kawa, Ghulam Nabi Kawa, Ismail Kawa, Aziz Rather, his
son Bashir Rather, Ghulam Ahmad Waza, Mohammad
Abdullah Itoo, Habibullah Mir and his son Latief Ahmad
Mir, Ghulam Nabi Kochka, Jabbar Kanna, two gunmen
with same name Abdul Rashid Ganie, Bashir Ahmad
Gania, all of whom were residents of Palhallan and were
working with the Garhwal regiment.
On 29 November 1995, Major Kambli of Garhwal Rifles
along with his soldiers and government gunmen Ghulam
Ahmad Waza, Shaban Kawa and Shahnawaz and
others with masked faces raided the house of my father
at Bemina. He was taken out in the lawn and army fired
few aerial shots. Then my father was taken to the
Palhallan army camp. In the camp he was tortured.
Ghulam Nabi Kawa hit his Kangri (firepot) on my father's
head. The Commanding Officer and Major Kambli
pressurized him to defame the Jamaat publicly. He was
told if he did that he would be rewarded with money and
be appointed as a government gunmen commander.
However, he refused to act on army diktats. Next day, his
dead body was handed over to Parimpora police station
by army.Having no information of my father's
whereabouts, my mother, Shahmala, along with another
Jamaat member Abdul Majeed of Rafiabad reached the
police station to file a missing report. When my mother
was giving the details of my father to the police, they
shocked her with news that they had already received
the dead body of my father from government gunmen.
Then my father's dead body was transported in a police
jeep to Palhallan for last rites.
After the killing of my father, the army led by Major
Kambli still raided my house, and now he was looking for
my uncle, Mohammad Maqbool Hajam who was an
active member of HM. Meanwhile, a crackdown was
imposed in the area and all the inhabitants of the village
were assembled at Sadderbal School, Sofi Mohalla. I
was taken to the place where Major Kambli was during
the crack down. Major Kambli asked me about my uncle
Mohammad Maqbool Hajam's whereabouts. I said I did
not know. Major Kambli poured hot tea on my head. This
happened in the presence of 200-300 people. Then I
was taken to one of the rooms of the school, stripped
naked and beaten. Major Kambli gave me a grace period
th
of ten days to produce my uncle. On the 10 day, I left my
house and shifted to Baramulla, and returned after two
months, when I heard that Major Kambli had been
transferred out from the camp.
In September 1996, Mohammad Maqbool, my uncle,
and his other friend Abdul Rasheed Bhat were arrested
during a meeting of HM. The place where the meeting
was held was cordoned by the Mahar Regiment and
government gunmen identified as Lateef Ahmad Mir,
Abdul Rasheed Ganai, Abdullah Yatoo and Sahba
Ganai. The meeting was held in the shop of Abdul Ahad,
resident of Raipur, Palhallan. Other members of HM
were also supposed to come for the meeting to the same
place. Army and Ikhwanis raided the shop in which
Mohammad Maqbool and Abdul Rasheed Bhat were
arrested and brought to Palhallan and kept there in the
th
army camp. Both were tortured there and on the 29 day
in the camp they were killed during the torture and their
dead bodies were found at Ghat Palhallan. The family
received the dead body from the Pattan Police Station.
Mohammad Maqbool's dead body was also not allowed
by government gunmen to be buried at the Martyr's
graveyard. He too was buried then at his ancestral
graveyard.
In 1997, Major Sinha raided my house and picked me
along with my two brothers and cousin brother. We were
all tortured together at Palhallan army camp. After two
days one brother was released, and on the fifth day I was
also released. Next day, Kamal Bhat a source for the
Palhallan army camp along with Numberdar came to our
house. They told my family and me that the other brother
and cousin would be released only if the demand of
Major Sinha was accepted: payment of Rs. 5,00,000.
The family arranged Rs. 1,50,000 and a carpet worth Rs.