New Delhi, July 10: Representatives from various civil society groups organised a Dharna at Jantar Mantar here Friday to protest the civilian killings in Kashmir and express solidarity with Kashmiris.  
 The two-hour long Dharna was organised by a non-governmental organisation ANHAD.
 Addressing the sit-in, the speakers called for immediate action to prevent further loss of life and property, putting an immediate end to the violence perpetrated by the security forces, appointing an independent and impartial time bound Commission of Enquiry to look into the killing of peaceful civilians and human rights violations, initiating an inquiry into instances of attacks on ambulance services, ensuring security of the journalists both of local and national media, ensuring freedom of expression and press and starting a political dialogue immediately with various stake-holders in the state.
 The speakers observed; “It is a matter of grave concern and anguish that no sensitive measures have been taken by the Central Government in response to the ongoing deaths, injuries and killings in cold-blood of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, including young girls and boys, most of them innocent, peaceful protestors, or even just bystanders.”
 “The reality is that democracy is under severe strain and is almost absent in many parts in this state, despite an elected government backed by the Centre holding the reigns of power at Srinagar,” the speakers said.
 “ANHAD and many other concerned civil society groups in India want the governments in the state and Centre to come out clean - urgently and immediately - and explain if this is indeed a democratic and constitutional method of handling a manifold and multiplying crisis in a highly sensitive region,” the speakers said.
 The speakers said the government is only pushing for an escalation in the number of deployment of security forces. “This clearly indicates the callous attitude of the governments in Delhi and Srinagar. Such acts of brutality are in complete violation of the law of the land and constitutional rights of the people that have resulted in mass outrage and alienation of large sections of the civilian population in Kashmir,” the speakers said.
 They said that unarmed, non-violent citizens, are being treated with such blatant and indiscriminate use of military force. “Despite repeated assurances by the central and state governments of zero tolerance towards human rights violations, the fact remains that little has been done to punish those responsible for such heinous and gross violations,” they said.
 “This organised insensitivity and vacillation to act firmly against such elements is bound to put a question mark on the credibility of the state and its track record in terms of human and democratic rights of the people, as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Mere rhetoric and institution of official enquiries is not enough to restore the shattered and shaken confidence of the people. It is imperative that the central and state authorities take firm and visible action against those responsible for unleashing this brutish violence on innocent people. Any delay will only compound the alienation and anger of the people - resulting in irrefutable damage to the peace process in the Valley and elsewhere in the state,” the speakers said.
 The speakers at the Dharna included, Shabnam Hashmi (ANHAD), Harsh Kapoor (South Asia Citizens Web), Navaid Hamid (Member,NIC), Prof Kamal Mitra Chenoy (JNU), Prof. Anuradha Chenoy (JNU), Tanveer Hussain Khan (ANHAD), Indu Prakash (IGSSS), Madhu Chandra (North Eastern Helpline), Divya (YWCA), Sanjay Kumar (AAA), Amitabh Pandey (Free Lancer), Ravi Himadri (The other Media), Prof. Rizwan Kaisar (Jamia Millia Islamia), Swami Agnivesh, Mansi Sharma (ANHAD), Seema Duhan (ANHAD). The following statement was released to the Media.  
 Academicians and students from JNU and Delhi University, filmmakers, artists, social activists, journalists, peace activists, human rights activists, lawyers, editors, historians, columnists and writers joined the Dharna.

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