UK police asked to arrest Indian army chief, home minister over ‘war crimes’ in Kashmir

London-based law firm submitted 2,000 testimonies of alleged war crimes and tortures in Indian occupied Kashmir

A London-based law firm has filed an application with the British police for the arrest of Indian army chief and Home Affairs minister for their roles in war crimes committed in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK).

The firm, Stoke White, has said that it has given substantial evidence to the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Unit. The evidence elaborates how Indian forces, led by Indian General Manoj Mukund Naravane and Home Minister Amit Shah were to be held responsible for torturing, kidnapping and killing residents, activists and journalists.

The report contains more than 2,000 corroborations which were taken between 2020 and 2021. The report also accuses eight senior Indian military officials of being directly involved in war crimes in IOJK.

The law firm said it made the request to London police under the standard of “universal jurisdiction”. According to the principle, it grants the police authority to prosecute people accused of war crimes worldwide.

The firm said that the application is the first time that international legal action against India has been taken over alleged war crimes.

The application was made on behalf of Zia Mustafa’s family, a jailed freedom fighter and the victim of extrajudicial killing by Indian authorities in 2021. Human rights activist Muhammad Ahsan Untoo is also the filer in the application, who was allegedly tortured last week before his arrest.