SRINAGAR: India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday said the prolonged deployment of armed forces in disturbed areas was bound to result in extra-judicial killings.
“It has gone on for 10-15 years. If security forces are kept in a state for 10-15 years, these things are bound to happen.”
“No one can prevent it.” TOI quoted a bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana P Desai saying while dealing with the issues raised by public interest litigations alleging 1,528 extra-judicial killings in Manipur in the last three decades.
Apart from many places in the northeast, the army has been deployed for decades now in Kashmir, the cause of two of the three wars between India and Pakistan. Tens of thousands have died in fighting between separatist militants and the security forces.
However human rights activists in Kashmir have often accused members of the security forces of carrying out extra-judicial killings for benefits like promotions and awards.
The supreme court bench said it was deeply saddened by reading the findings of the inquiry report of Justice Santosh Hegde committee, which inquired and concluded that six incidents of encounter in Manipur referred to it were fake and resulted in the cold-blooded killing of seven persons including a 12-year-old boy.
“We cannot tell you how shameful the case is…What is the use of our sitting here (in the Supreme Court) if people are killed like this,” the bench said.
“Those deaths (fake encounter killings) reflect utter callousness and no respect for human rights and no respect for the right to life,” the justices added, but did not forget to mention the constraints and difficult situations into which the security forces were thrown in.
“But we must also see the picture from the side of the security forces who are away from their families for long periods.”
“These are young soldiers. The constant violence has a brutalizing effect on them.”
“If you keep Army in a place for 10-15 years, these things are bound to happen.”
“The security force personnel do not lead a normal life being stationed in the midst of constant violence,” the bench said, according to TOI.
