London, Jan 19: Amnesty international, the global human rights watch body, today claimed that "torture and custodial violence" continued to take place in Punjab despite the end of militancy in the state. "Torture in Punjab persists as a result of the continuing culture of impunity developed within the criminal justice system in the state during the period (of militancy)," amnesty said in a new report. "Unless this trend is reversed and the procedures and attitudes which facilitated abuses during that period are dismantled, custodial violence will continue to take place in the state," it said. In the report, amnesty alleged that impunity for past abuses and the continuation of ongoing torture are linked.
"There is an urgent need to break this cycle and the recommendations contained at the end of the report are made as a contribution towards this objective," it said. Armed opposition ended in Punjab a decade ago, resulting in a marked decrease of human rights violations in the state, but thousands of families are still waiting to know the fate of their relatives who "disappeared" during that period, the report said.
"Until justice and truth is delivered to these families, the wounds left by the militancy period will remain open."
The organisation said only a few police officers responsible for a range of human rights violations - including torture, deaths in custody, extra-judicial executions and "disappearances" during the militancy period - have been brought to justice. Bureau Report