Around 13,000 children, mainly boys, have been detained in Kashmir since its autonomous status was revoked on Aug 5.
According to The Telegraph, a report, led by the National Federation of Indian Women, detailed claims that boys - some as young as 14 - had been imprisoned for up to 45 days, and families were paying up to 60,000 rupees for their children’s release.
Official data on the number of children imprisoned has not been released. It is also unclear why minors have been arrested, although it is believed some have been detained for throwing stones at army personnel.
The Jammu and Kashmir government said there is “no centralised figure” for numbers of Kashmiris who have been arrested during the crackdown, reported The Telegraph.
National Federation of Indian Women and other activists visited Kashmir between September 17 and 21 and interviewed members of the Jammu and Kashmir police, doctors, professors and ordinary citizens, and their report claims the authorities used excessive force when arresting the boys, and that some have been tortured while imprisoned.
Domestic and international media has detailed the use of torture against Kashmiris, including beatings and electric shocks. On Saturday, a 15-year-old boy committed suicide in Srinagar after allegedly being assaulted by the army.
“It is [an] Indian variant of genocide,” said Annie Raja, the General Secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women to The Telegraph. Ms Raja's organisation has called on the India to release all children detained in Kashmir since August 5.
