Amnesty International welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Home Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir on the Draft Jammu and Kashmir Police Bill, 2013 (the Draft Bill).
Amnesty International is deeply concerned that the Draft Bill, if passed into law in its current form, will perpetuate the culture of impunity for human rights abuses and violations that exists in Jammu and Kashmir.
This submission analyses some of the provisions of the Draft Bill in light of India’s international human rights obligations. Part I provides an introduction to the context in which the Draft Bill was introduced. Part II contains a brief background to policing practices in Jammu and Kashmir and their links to impunity and human rights violations. Part III presents an analysis of the Draft Bill’s shortcomings and recommendations on how to address them.