Screen shot shows Indian paramilitary troopers beat Kashmiri man.—Screen grab
The rights group has conducted decades of research and estimates that at least 200,000 people have been tortured during Kashmir's decades-long separatist conflict fuelled by anti-India sentiment among a mostly Muslim population and a deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops.
Kashmir's troubles began in 1947, with the first days of Indian and Pakistani independence, as the two countries both claimed the region in its entirety. They have since fought two of three wars over their rival claims, each administering a part of the territory divided by a heavily militarised line of control.
On the Indian side, most public protest was peaceful until 1989, when armed rebels rose up demanding the region's independence or merger with Pakistan. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in that uprising and the ensuing military crackdown.
Among the angriest now are Kashmiris under 35, who have grown up in a politically radicalised society amid the brutal armed conflict and high unemployment. They are also among the most tech-savvy and engaged in social media, and make up two-thirds of the territory's population of nearly 13 million.
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Anti-India rebels have also adopted social media. One charismatic rebel commander, Burhan Wani, became a household name thanks to his rousing Facebook posts. His killing last year by Indian forces sparked demonstrations and street clashes across Kashmir.
Meanwhile, pro-India activists appear to have countered with their own videos, including two recently circulated showing militants forcing people to chant anti-India slogans at gunpoint. Authorities have charged three men with attacking an Indian paramilitary soldier after they were allegedly seen in a video heckling the man.
The Indian chapter of Amnesty International has condemned videos from both sides for inciting anger and violence, and urged an investigation.
Indian police and paramilitary officials accuse agitators of using social media to instigate violence.
“There is misuse of social media by the people who are inimical to the peace,” said the region's police director-general, S. P. Vaid. He refused to comment on media reports that the government was considering a ban on social media sites like Facebook and popular online chat application WhatsApp.
Kashmiris accuse India of doing too little to combat abuses. Military courts-martial have convicted 164 soldiers since 1990, punishing them with jail or dismissal from military service, according to an army officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with media.
He said 96 per cent of the more than 1,000 complaints received since 1990 were found to be false and fabricated. The state government itself cannot pursue abuse cases involving soldiers without permission from New Delhi, which has never been granted despite state requests to prosecute more than 50 cases in the last two decades of alleged murder, rape and other abuse.
In the past, Indian authorities have dismissed videos and photos showing alleged abuse as propaganda stunts aimed at destabilising the India-based administration. Some in Kashmir believe they were actually leaked by military authorities themselves to intimidate locals.
One observer, New York-based Kashmiri scholar Mohamad Junaid, posited that the “distribution of these videos is also about a fragile masculinity reasserting itself” over a population that has once again begun to aggressively challenge Indian rule.
He and other experts warned that India's heavy-handed rule and inability to placate local protesters were pushing the region toward a dangerous impasse.
“The decision in New Delhi seems to be to push Kashmir and Kashmiris to the wall, said Wahid, the historian. “It's only to be expected the resentment is going to reach new heights.”