Indian home ministry gives misleading data on Kashmir

Indian home ministry gives misleading data on Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Indian government has been found involved in twisting the facts about the number of killed and injured in occupied Kashmir during the last year.

According to Kashmir Media Service, National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), an attached office of Indian Home Ministry, in its 2016 report released in New Delhi showed the number of killed and injured only 44 and 375 respectively during the year in the territory. On the contrary to the NCRB claims, the fact is that the troops martyred 303 innocent Kashmiris including 9 women and 42 teenagers during the year 2016. Over 19,000 civilians were injured in firing of pellets, bullets, PAVA and teargas shelling by Indian forces.

Interestingly, most of the killings and injuries took place in the backdrop of killing of Burhan Muzaffar Wani by Indian forces on July 8, last year. The troops killed over 115 innocent people since the killing of Burhan Wani. Over 150 were rendered completely blinded by the pellets fired by Indian forces since July 8.

However, in oblivion of all the above-mentioned facts, the NCRB statistics gave the number of killed and injured as 44 and 375, respectively. The NCRB has failed to mention the victims of pellet guns and teargas shells, used by the Indian forces. The eyesight of over 1800 youth was damaged in the firing of this lethal weapon only after July 8, last year.

What is more important to the NCRB is that “the number of civilians killed in lathi charge last year was nearly double the number than those who died in police firing”. As per the NCRB report, 44 civilians were killed in police lathi charge and firing across Kashmir. “Of them 29 were killed in incidents of lathi charge by police.”

In the light of above statistics, the figures of killed and injured given by NCRB is a bluff and an attempt to hoodwink the international community.