By Shazia Yousuf
SRINAGAR, Indian-held Kashmir
A former Amnesty International researcher deported from India last year has claimed she believes her research into Indian army practices in Indian-held Kashmir were the reason for her deportation, a day after the human rights group criticized the "impunity" of the army.
Christine Mehta wrote in Indian newspaper The Hindu on Thursday that "I was on the cusp of publishing a report on the abuses committed under the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act," when she was suddenly told to immediately leave the country.
"Despite the need for reform amongst the ranks, the Indian government remains extremely sensitive to the image of its Army and other security forces. The state terms anyone who raises questions about the conduct of the security forces as 'anti-national'," she wrote, adding that the chief of Amnesty in India had been told the government would not "tolerate" her work in Kashmir.
The delayed report published Wednesday accused the Indian state of providing impunity to soldiers accused of human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir -- including abduction, rape and torture.
The group called for an impartial investigation of alleged violations and a repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which protects Indian soldiers from the purview of Indian law and was described in the report as one of the “primary facilitators of impunity.”
“The lack of political will to account for past and present actions of the security forces, including the state police, is fortified by legislation and aggravated by other obstacles to justice, especially for those who lack financial resources or education,” the report read.
The report also said thousands of Kashmiri victims are denied justice and often face "intimidation and threats from security forces,” if they try to bring cases against Indian soldiers.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full.
The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Since 1989, Kashmiri resistance groups in Indian-held Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
More than 70,000 Kashmiris have been killed so far in the violence, most of them by Indian forces. India maintains over half a million soldiers in the Indian-held Kashmir.
A part of Kashmir is also held by China.