Kin of missing persons protest in Kashmir

Srinagar, Dec 17 (ANI) : Kin of missing persons staged a sit-in protest under the banner of the Joint association of Kashmir affected families (JAKAF) here on Thursday to demand information on the whereabouts of those missing.

"The families that are protesting here are those which have been tortured and have been affected. You can see pictures of people who have missing since 7-8 years," said Zaffar Akbar Bhat, chairman of joint associations of Kashmir affected families (JAKAF).

Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) estimates around 10,000 people went missing, presumed kidnapped and allegedly murdered by Indian security forces during the nearly two-decade-old separatist revolt in Kashmir, and says many of the missing could have ended up in unmarked graves.

Some people accuses security forces of killing civilians in staged gun battles and passing them off as separatist militants to earn rewards and promotions.

Recently, a human rights group in Kashmir claimed that it had discovered some 1,700 unmarked graves linked to the region's separatist conflict and called on authorities to launch an investigation. (ANI)