In December 1992, Amnesty International reported the alleged rape of nine women in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, on the night of 10/11 October 1992. It urged that an independent and impartial inquiry be carried out into the allegations. The Indian authorities responded by saying that the result of two investigations into these allegations, one of them carried out by the army, the other by a Senior Superintendent of Police, was that "these allegations were trumped up at the instance of the militant outfit to malign the reputation of the security forces". Amnesty International notes that there is strong prima facie evidence of rape and torture and no independent investigation into the allegations.
Topics: sexual violence, state failure to bring rape victims to justice
Terms: 1992 allegations of rape in Shopian, custodial rape, rape by armed forces, gender-based violence, sexual violence, right to impartial and independent inquiry, failure to investigate, failure of accountability, state disinformation
Due to the contradictory findings of the army and police investigations which refuted the rape allegations, the medical evidence and the findings of investigations carried out by human rights organizations which indicated that at least three and possibly nine of the women had been raped, Amnesty International urges the government to immediately order a fully independent and impartial inquiry into these allegations. The investigations which have been held to date were conducted by the army and the police and were not independent and impartial.
December 1993
Originally published
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