Chandigarh, Dec 2 (PTI) Punjab Documentation and AdvocacyProject (PDAP), an NGO, today claimed that they have foundover 8,000 people going "disappeared" during 1980 till 1995 inPunjab and demanded an independent judicial commission toprobe the matter.
Satnam Singh Bains, representing PDAP, claimed that theyhave identified and documented hundreds of victims who wereallegedly "cremated as unclaimed unidentified" and killed in"fake encounters".
"In our seven-year long investigation, we haveidentified 8,257 persons from different sources whodisappeared from 1980 to 1995 in Punjab," he claimed.
Bains said the records pertaining to "disappeared" peoplewere collected by visiting villages, meeting victims' familymembers and also from media reports.
"The latest report is a further step in the longstruggle by people of Punjab for justice and accountabilityfor victims and for their kin," Bains said.
Retired Bombay High Court judge Justice Suresh, whowas also present, said, "people disappeared. They (theirfamilies) have the right to know why they disappeared. Theyhave the right to know why human right violations took place."People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) nationalconvener Kavita Srivastava, while speaking on the occasion,sought formation of a judicial commission under retiredsitting judge of the Supreme Court to probe the"disappearance" of the people.
Bains said they will soon move to the Supreme Court withthe findings of their report and demand detailed investigationin the matter. PTI CHSKJ.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.