Thousands disappeared, in custody: curfew in IoK enters 27th day

SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, over 4,500 persons among total over 10,000 arrested have been booked under draconian law, Public Safety Act, since the illegal repeal of the special status of the territory by India on 5th August.

Those detained under PSA include Hurriyat leaders, political workers, traders, lawyers, social activists, and youth.

Principal Secretary of occupied Kashmir, Rohit Kansal, confirmed to media that over 4,500 people have been arrested under the PSA. The law allows the authorities to keep anyone under detention for up to two years without trial.

Meanwhile, the curfew and communication blackout continue in the Kashmir valley on the 27th consecutive day, today, where people are facing acute shortage of essential commodities including baby food and life-saving medicines.The valley remains cut off from the rest of the world since August 05 due to continued blockade and suspension of internet, mobile and landline services and closing of TV channels. The printing of local newspapers remains suspended while schools shut.

Indian troops in their unabated state terrorism subjected thousands of Kashmiris to custodial disappearance during the last twenty-nine years and the families of the victims have no information about their whereabouts.

According to the data released by the Research Section of the Kashmir Media Service, over 8,000 Kashmiris have vanished in the custody after they were picked up by the Indian troops, police and paramilitary forces.

The report maintained that thousands of unnamed graves have been discovered in the territory and the human rights activists fear that these graves could be of the disappeared Kashmiris.

27th day of tyrannical curfew in IoK, civilians dragged back to stone age