India anti-terror agency arrests prominent Kashmir activist
ABC News
India’s counter-terrorism investigating agency has arrested a prominent human rights activist in Indian-controlled Kashmir
SRINAGAR, India -- India’s counter-terrorism investigating agency has arrested a prominent human rights activist in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in a new crackdown on rights groups in the disputed region.
The National Investigation Agency, aided by police and paramilitary soldiers, raided the home and office of Khurram Parvez in Srinagar on Monday and searched them for many hours, said his wife Samina, who uses only one name. They also confiscated Parvez’s mobile phone, laptop and some books, along with her cellphone, before arresting him, she said.
The agency did not issue a statement about Parvez’s arrest, but an official memo provided to his family said he was detained under several sections of India's anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The law allows Indian authorities to detain people without producing any incriminating evidence and sets stringent requirements for granting bail.
Parvez, 42, is the program coordinator of the rights group Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, which has written reports about violence involving some of the hundreds of thousands of Indian troops in the region. The group has highlighted the expansive powers granted to Indian troops which it says lead to a culture of impunity and widespread rights abuses in the region.