SRINAGAR, Oct 8: More than 2,300 people have gone missing in strife-torn Jammu and Kashmir state since a bloody insurgency broke out in the Himalayan region in 1989, chief Minister Omar Abdullah said.
Abdullah told lawmakers of the state assembly that over 2,300 persons had been declared “missing” and that government’s efforts are on to trace their whereabouts.
However, Abdullah did not mention what had caused the disappearances.
Human rights’ groups say nearly 10,000 people have gone missing in security forces’ custody after their arrests, a charge government consistently denies and says most of the missing have crossed-over to the other side of Kashmir.
“As per the inputs furnished by the concerned district development commissioners, 2,305 persons have been declared missing,” Abdullah told in a written reply to a question posed by MLA Kulgam MY Tarigami.
First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered in 182 cases while “missing reports” have been lodged in most of the remaining cases, the chief minister said.
He said ex-gratia relief had been paid to 729 families, benefit of compassionate appointment had been given in 58 cases and cash in lieu of government jobs had been paid in 65 cases and added that his government was working on finding out the exact number of the missing persons for rehabilitation of their families.
“It has been decided to initiate an exercise for establishment of the exact number of missing persons, widows and their children and dependents before taking a decision on their rehabilitation,” Abdullah said.
