Kashmiri Pandits criticise Amnesty International team of ignoring human rights violations by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir

Kashmiri Pandits criticise Amnesty International team

Mon, May 24

Jammu, May 24 (PTI) Slamming the conduct of an Amnesty International team during its visit to Kashmir, two organisations of displaced Kashmiri Pandits today accused it of ignoring human rights violations by ”jehadi” terrorist groups in J-K. “The way the Amnesty team has conducted itself during its recent visit to Kashmir demonstrates that their visit was guided more by political considerations than any concern for human rights,”

Chairman of Panun Kashmir Ajay Chrungoo told reporters here. The two-member team comprising B J Batra and Gopala Krishnan concluded its six-day visit to Kashmir yesterday.

President of All State Kashmiri Pandit Solidarity Conference (ASKPSC) O N Trisal alleged that the team “conveniently chose to sidetrack the issue of ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus, as it has over the years chosen to ignore the genocide of Hindus living in Pakistan and Bangladesh and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)”. The two leaders criticised the team for meeting Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik and compared the separatist leaders to the fascist war criminals of Germany.

Chrungoo said, “we want to clearly state that human rights violations in J&K, which the representatives of Amnesty came to assess, are mainly the violations committed by jehadi terrorist groups against the whole community of Hindus in the state who are subjected to genocide and extermination. “By persisting with its specific agenda, Amnesty has not been able to dispel the doubts about it being essentially and instrument of foreign policy of those who want to subvert the independence of India and destroy its national unity,” the leaders alleged.

They said the Centre should not have allowed the delegation to visit Kashmir after having denied it permission to do so during the last two decades.

Gujarat riot myths busted

Gujarat riot myths busted
Abraham Thomas, Tuesday, April 14, 2009, http://www.dailypioneer.com

The so-called human rights activist, Teesta Setalvad – who paraded the
Gujarat riot victims before the Supreme Court and claimed they had been
denied justice – suffered embarrassment on Monday after a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) gave sufficient grounds for the apex court to
doubt the authenticity of incidents highlighted by her NGO Citizens for
Justice and Peace.

The SIT, headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan along with former DGP
CB Satpathy and three senior IPS officers – Geetha Johri, Shivanand Jha
and Ashish Bhatia – had been entrusted with the enquiry into post-Godhra
riot incidents in Godhra, Gulbarg Society, Naroda Gaon, Naroda Patiya
and Sardarpura.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for the State, read out
portions of the report that refuted the petitioner’s charge of the
State’s complicity in the riots.

Pointing out a specific instance, the SIT report stated how the evidence
of 22 witnesses was “suspect” owing to the identical submissions made in
their affidavits submitted to the court. On enquiry, the SIT found that
all the 22 affidavits were drafted, typed and printed from the same
computer, giving sufficient grounds to believe they were “tutored”. When
the SIT questioned those who signed the affidavits, it was shocked to
learn that these complainants were not even aware of the incidents.

Referring to another instance that exposed the Citizens for Justice and
Peace’s much ‘trumpeted’ charges, Rohtagi said the SIT investigation
found untrue allegation about a gangrape of a pregnant woman Kauser
Bano, whose stomach was allegedly pierced by sword and her foetus
killed.

Even the instance of dumping of bodies into a well at Naroda Patiya and
a charge of the police allegedly shielding accused persons in murder of
a British national was found to be untrue, Rohtagi said.

Firing a salvo at the NGO, Rohtagi said, “It is clear from the report
that the horrendous allegations made by the NGO were false. Cyclostyled
affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made
in them were untrue,” he added, with an obvious reference to Setalvad.

The NGO’s counsel Aparna Bhatt objected to such comments being made on
the strength of the report, which had also added several persons as
accused in the case. Refusing to be drawn into the slanging match
between the opposing parties, the Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat
said, “In riot cases, more the delay, there is likelihood of falsity
creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track the
trials.”

The court asked the State Government, petitioners and amicus curiae
senior advocate Harish Salve to suggest recommendations on these lines.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the
Centre, suggested selection of public prosecutors on consultation from
the SIT. Salve informed the court that the matter would be taken up with
the SIT. Based on a suggestion by another NGO petitioner counsel Indira
Jaising to evolve a witness protection system, Salve assured that the
same would also be discussed in the light of the sensitivity attached to
the case. The bunch of petitions was posted for further hearing after
next week.

Teesta, a pogrom of lies — must read

To read more about this vile creature and the macabre tales she concocted on the Gujarat riots, click

Teesta, it Hit Your Face

Teesta, NGOs fabricated Gujarat riot incidents: Special Investigation Team (SIT)

“the SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan told the Supreme Court on Monday that the celebrated rights activist cooked up macabre tales of wanton killings. “

” Rohtagi also said that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by the SIT which found that they had been tutored and handed over the affidavits by Setalvad and that they had not actually witnessed the riot incidents. “

NGOs, Teesta spiced up Gujarat riot incidents: SIT
14 Apr 2009, 1213 hrs IST, Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN

NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team responsible for the arrests of those accused in Gujarat riots has severely censured NGOs and social activist Teesta Setalvad who campaigned for the riot victims.

In a significant development, the SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan told the Supreme Court on Monday that the celebrated rights activist cooked up macabre tales of wanton killings.

Many incidents of killings and violence were cooked up, false charges were levelled against then police chief P C Pandey and false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents, the SIT said in a report submitted before a Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam.

The SIT said it had been alleged in the Gulbarg Society case that Pandey, instead of taking measures to protect people facing the wrath of rioteers, was helping the mob. The truth was that he was helping with hospitalisation of riot victims and making arrangements for police bandobast, Gujarat counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, said quoting from the SIT report.

Rohtagi also said that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by the SIT which found that they had been tutored and handed over the affidavits by Setalvad and that they had not actually witnessed the riot incidents.

The SIT also found no truth in the following incidents widely publicised by the NGOs:

* A pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu was gangraped by a mob, who then gouged out the foetus with sharp weapons

* Dumping of dead bodies into a well by rioteers at Naroda Patiya

* Police botching up investigation into the killing of British nationals, who were on a visit to Gujarat and unfortunately got caught in the riots

Rohtagi said: “On a reading of the report, it is clear that horrendous allegations made by the NGOs were false. Stereotyped affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them were found untrue.”

Obviously happy with the fresh findings of the SIT which was responsible for the recent arrests of former Gujarat minister Maya Kodanani and VHP leader Jaideep Patel, Rohtagi tried to spruce up the image of the Modi administration, which was castigated in the Best Bakery case by the apex court as “modern day Neros”. He was swiftly told by the Bench that but for the SIT, many more accused, who are freshly added, would not have been brought to book.

The Bench said there was no room for allegations and counter-allegations at this late stage. “In riot cases, the more the delay, there is likelihood of falsity creeping in. So, there should be a designated court to fast track the trials. Riot cases should be given priority because feelings run high having a cascading effect,” it said and asked for suggestions from the Gujarat government, Centre, NGOs and amicus curiae Harish Salve, who said the time had come for the apex court to lift the stay on trials into several post-Godhra riot cases.

While additional solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam agreed with the court that public prosecutors should be selected in consultation with Raghavan, counsel Indira Jaising said there should be a complete regime for protection of witnesses as the same government, which was accused of engineering the riots, was in power now.

Salve said that he would consult Raghavan and let the court know about a witness protection system for post-Godhra riot cases. The court asked the parties to submit their suggestions within a week.

dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com

Terrorists are like animals: Supreme Court judge, human rights activists fighting for ‘animal rights’

Terrorists are like animals: Supreme Court judge
Tue, Jan 27

New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) Equating terrorists with animals, a senior Supreme Court judge Tuesday said people speaking for their rights are actually advocating ‘animal rights’.

‘Those who violate the rights of society and have no respect for human rights are not humans but animals. And people fighting for terrorists are actually supporting ‘animal rights’,’ said Justice Arijit Pasayat, addressing a conference organised by the Indian Law Institute.

Speaking on ‘Investigation and Prosecution of Offences Related to Terrorism’, Pasayat called for a united effort to fight terrorism.

Blaming society for the spurt in terrorist attacks, Pasayat, the third most senior judge of the apex court, said: ‘We are hypocrites and speak in different tones when it comes to terrorism.’

Advocating stringent anti-terror laws, the judge said: ‘It is important to have special laws to deal with terrorists and we need to give enough time to our investigators and prosecutors to prepare the case with strong evidence.’

Echoing Pasayat’s views, senior advocate Fali S. Nariman said terrorists could not be equated with those accused of petty offences.

Nariman advocated taking away the right of silence from terrorists and advised the government to re-consider the Malimath Committee’s recommendations that suggested amendment in one of the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code to combat terrorism.

‘If an alleged terrorist refuses to answer the court’s query, the presiding judge should be empowered to draw an adverse inference against him,’ said Nariman.

Solicitor General G.E. Vahanvati said since Pakistan was unwilling to assist India in combating terrorism, it was time to strengthen the criminal justice system.

‘If a lawyer does not want to fight for Kasab, we should not force him or her to do so. Let Kasab defend himself before the court, if he can speak another language other than terrorism,’ he said, referring to Mohammed Ajmal Amir alias Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist captured during the Nov 26 Mumbai attack.