HRW asks India to refrain from using force in JK

NEW YORK: Asking India to refrain from using excessive force against protesters in Jammu and Kashmir, a leading international human rights watchdog has appealed to all parties in the troubled state to settle peacefully the ongoing dispute, which has claimed nearly 40 lives.

Ongoing protests by Muslims and Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir State since June 2008 have turned "increasingly violent," claiming nearly 40 lives, injuring hundreds, and "fueling religious hatred," the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

"To end this cycle of tragedy, the government should order security forces to act with restraint and all parties should try to settle the dispute peacefully," it added.

The Indian security forces, HRW said, should abide by the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms, which call upon law enforcement officials, including members of the armed forces, to employ nonviolent means before resorting to use of force and only in proportion to the seriousness of the offence.

The UN principles allow lethal force only when it is "strictly unavoidable in order to protect life," it said in a statement on Wednesday.

Noting that Indian government has invited all concerned parties to come together to solve the Amarnath Yatra dispute, the watchdog said with "both national and state elections due in a few months, political parties and separatist groups are inciting the violence and using the dispute to fuel their own political agendas".

"With violence escalating, the troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir is again at the brink of catastrophe," said Meenakshi Ganguly, senior Asia researcher at HRW.

"Political leaders and civil society in Jammu and Kashmir should seek a mutually agreeable solution to the immediate crisis, so that peace is restored," Ganguly added.