A British law firm, Stoke White, has submitted evidence to the Metropolitan Police of war crimes recently committed by Indian troops under General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah. These include torture, kidnapping, and the killing of activities, journalists and civilians in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).
“There is strong reason to believe that Indian authorities are conducting war crimes and other violence against civilians in Jammu and Kashmir,” the law firm indicated in a report.
Collected from 2020 to 2021, the evidence is comprised of over 2,000 testimonials which allege worsening abuse from Indian authorities throughout Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Narendra Modi’s administration and the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, eight unnamed senior Indian military officials are directly inculcated in war crimes and torture in Kashmir, according to the law-firm’s report.
Under the principle of ‘universal jurisdiction,’ the UK has the authority to bring charges against anyone accused of crimes against humanity, regardless of where the crime is committed.
The petition was submitted on behalf of human rights activist Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, who was allegedly tortured by Indian authorities, as well as on behalf of the family of Zia Mustafa, who was allegedly murdered by Indian authorities in an extrajudicial killing.
Claims against India’s violations of human rights and crimes against humanity in IOJK have been numerous. In 2018, the United Nations called for an international investigation into the human rights situation in IOJK, citing “a situation of chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces.”
