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Andrabi's murder

Human rights

bodies rally

in Delhi

New Delhi: Fifteen prominent civil liberties organisations on Thursday staged a demonstration against the assassination of top Kashmiri human rights activist Mr Jalil Ahmad Andrabi and urged the Indian Supreme Court to take immediate cognizance of the "dismal situation" as obtained in Indian-teld Jammu and Kashmir.

The organisations under the banner of "citizens committee" organised a protest rally here from Shaheed Bhagat terminus. But police halted them near link house at Bahadur Shah road and did not allow them to March ahead.

The organisations included the people's rights organisation, people's union for democratic rights, citizens for democracy, Gandhi Peace Foundation, People's Union for Civil Liberties, Nagrik Adhikar Andolan.

In their petition to the Supreme Court they said that more than 20,000 people had been killed and on an average ten people are killed every day in "extra judicial killing".

The present situation in the state is "a total subversion of the rule of law and democratic principles", the petition said.

Pointing out the killing of Mr. Andrabi in the custody of the security forces, the petition said it "was the latest in the series of such incidents to eliminate civil rights activists in Jammu and Kashmir".-APP