Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has dismissed allegations that his government was not serious in tackling rights violations in the state.
Addressing the two-day summer session of the state legislature, Azad quoted extensively from figures to prove that stern action had been taken against those found guilty of rights abuses among the security personnel.
He said his government had made it clear that violation of human rights will not be tolerated and the guilty not spared.
"This commitment was not a mere rhetoric but actually practiced on ground," he said.
Azad said the government not only took suo moto cognizance in the Ganderbal fake encounter case but actually took it to logical conclusion.
"The guilty were arrested and sent to jail. A senior police officer is still under arrest and a case filed against him," the chief minister said and recalled that even 'Opposition parties had also patted the government for this action.'
Azad gave figures to dismiss the opposition claim that thousands of people were languishing in jails and said only 272 were detained under PSA.
He also refuted the allegation that no meeting was taking place between state and central governments for release of detenues.
"Two such meetings took place last year following which several people were released. Only yesterday another meeting was held and some more persons could be freed."
He said custodial killings had drastically come down.
Azad said against 30 to 40 such cases annually some years back, the number was now as low as 3 to 4.
"This was only possible because of the stern measures taken by the government."
He said his government's 'effort was to bring the number of such cases to the level of zero.'
The chief minister said while human rights violations by security forces deserve
severe condemnation, such criminal acts committed by others in the society should also be denunciated.
