Key statistics on documented cases of enforced disappearances & extrajudicial executions in Punjab, India

Victim Demographics

Gender

97.7% Male 5,195

2.3% Female 121

Marital status

57.8% Not married 3,071

41.9% Married 2,229

If married, did the victim have children?

35.9% Yes 1,907

4.8% No 253

Total children surviving victims: 5,214

Religion

98.1% Sikh 5,214

1.9% Non-Sikh 102

Caste

70.4% Jat 3,745

29.1% Non-Jat 1,548

Age

6.8% 0-17 359

73.9% 18-33 3,930

14.0% 34-49 745

3.6% 50-64 193

1.4% 65+ 77

0.4% Age unknown 23

Education

23.6% No education 1,252

16.7% Primary school 890

16.1% Middle school 857

33.5% High school 1,779

2.2% Some college 116

3.5% College degree 188

1.6% Graduate degree 84

2.1% Vocational degree 112

Employment

43.3% Farmer/agriculture 2,300

13.0% Day labourer 690

10.0% Student 530

5.2% Driver (bus/truck/car) 274

4.1% Shopkeeper 217

3.0% Unemployed 161

2.1% Mechanic 111

1.6% Housewife 83

0.5% Carpenter 29

23.4% Other 1,246

Urban / Rural

83.9% Rural 4,459

8.7% Urban 461

Abduction, Detention, & Torture

Prior detentions

44.8% Yes 2,383

54.2% No 2,882

Prior torture

34.9% Yes 1,854

10.0% No 529

Abduction preceding enforced disappearance/extrajudicial execution

78.0% Yes 4,149

19.6% No 1,040

Security officials informed witnesses where they were taking the victim

19.7% Yes 638

76.6% No 2,475

Witnesses to abduction

60.8% Yes 3,232

5.4% No 286

Victim abduction location

19.3% Victim’s residence 1,025

14.1% Roadside 748

10.4% Friend/relative's residence 555

6.4% Village fields 341

3.2% Shop/market 170

2.9% Police station 154

2.5% Checkpoint (naka) 131

2.3% Bus station/stand 122

0.7% Village drain 37

11.3% Other 599

Detention facility type

Data forthcoming

Preceding detention location known

49.4% Yes 2,624

28.3% No 1,507

Witnesses to detention preceding enforced disappearance/extrajudicial execution

Data forthcoming

Security official response to victim status

13.0% Gave no response 691

11.7% Denied involvement 622

11.7% Other 622

7.0% Told family to go to another police station 374

5.3% Killed victim in an “encounter” 283

4.3% Admitted extrajudicial execution with no explanation 229

2.2% Admitted custody only 119

1.8% Victim had escaped 94

0.5% Victim accidentally killed in custody 24

0.4% Victim killed in crossfire with militants 20

0.3% Victim killed by militants 18

0.2% Victim killed while trying to escape 8

0.0% Victim killed by Cats 2

0.0% Victim killed while resisting arrest/search 1

Victim presented before judge/magistrate

3.9% Yes 205

53.0% No 2,820

Enforced Disappearances vs. Extrajudicial Executions

Classification

84.0% Extrajudicial executions 4,468

16.0% Enforced disappearances 848

Number of victims per family

82.5% 1 victim 4,387

12.6% 2 victim 669

3.5% 3 victim 184

0.6% 4 victim 31

0.3% 5 victim 16

0.1% 6 victim 6

0.3% 7 victim 14

0.2% 9 victim 9

Related incidents

3.4% Genuine encounters in family 181

95.6% No genuine encounters in family 5,083

Body Disposal

Security forces returned body

15.6% Yes 829

1.4% Yes, but forced immediate cremation 74

66.8% No 3,552

Body disposal by security forces

31.6% Cremated the body 1,681

1.8% Dumped body in canal or river 97

0.1% Buried the body 7

0.1% Dumped body in well or drain 5

0.1% Other 4

Condition of corpse, if known

13.5% Bullet wounds 716

3.5% Cuts/wounds 187

3.4% Bruises 181

3.4% Broken bones 180

2.8% Other 150

1.8% Burn marks 96

1.5% Missing hair from head or face 80

1.1% Missing fingernails 59

Security Forces Implicated

Names of involved security officials known

52.5% Yes 2,791

24.6% No 1,307

Security forces uniformed

84.8% Yes 2,741

10.2% No 331

Type(s) of security forces involved in abduction

70.0% Punjab Police 3,722

9.1% CRPF 485

2.9% Criminal Investigation Agency 156

2.3% Other 120

1.7% Cat 90

1.5% BSF 79

0.9% Army 46

Type(s) of security forces involved in extrajudicial execution

73.2% Punjab police 3,891

8.0% CRPF 427

2.7% Criminal Investigation Agency 144

2.2% Cat 116

2.0% BSF 107

1.6% Army 83

1.5% Other 82

Militancy Involvement

Militant status

39.3% Militant 2,090

56.8% Non-militant 3,019

Non-militant, provided support to militants

14.4% Yes 763

39.7% No 2,109

If provided support, support was voluntary

9.2% Yes 490

4.4% No 233

Remedies & Impact

Approached court or commission

35.7% Yes 1,897

63.2% No 3,359

Approached security officials

45.5% Yes 2,418

53.6% No 2,849

Reason the family did not pursue any kind of action

49.5% Afraid of retaliation 2,633

18.5% Didn’t know what to do 983

13.5% Couldn’t afford 716

12.9% Believed it would have been ineffective 686

3.6% Not applicable 189

0.7% Other 39

Remedies desired from government

72.5% Monetary compensation to family 3,852

60.3% Truth commission 3,205

57.8% Employment 3,075

36.2% Criminal sanctions against those responsible 1,923

32.5% Public acknowledgement of wrongful deaths 1,728

32.4% Investigations into abuses 1,722

19.5% Rehabilitation services to family members 1,039

16.3% Memorial for victims 866

5.1% Desire nothing from government 272

3.1% Other 163

Year & District

District

39.5% Amritsar 2,098

2.7% Bathinda 142

1.2% Faridkot 62

0.9% Fatehgarh Sahib 47

5.9% Firozpur 312

12.0% Gurdaspur 636

1.8% Hoshiarpur 95

3.1% Jalandhar 163

3.0% Kapurthala 157

5.9% Ludhiana 313

1.7% Mansa 93

4.7% Moga 250

0.8% Muktsar 40

0.9% Nawanshahr 47

2.1% Patiala 113

2.1% Rupnagar 111

4.5% Sangrur 239

7.4% Location Withheld 396

Year

0.1% 1981 3

0.2% 1982 8

0.4% 1983 22

2.0% 1984 108

0.5% 1985 26

1.8% 1986 96

5.4% 1987 287

4.8% 1988 257

7.8% 1989 416

8.5% 1990 453

19.4% 1991 1,030

26.5% 1992 1,407

13.0% 1993 693

2.2% 1994 117

0.8% 1995 40

0.4% 1996 19

0.2% 1997 10

0.1% 1998 7

0.2% 1999 8

0.0% 2000 1

0.0% 2001 1

0.0% 2002 1

0.0% 2003 2

0.0% 2004 0

0.1% 2005 5

0.0% 2006 0

0.0% 2007 1

0.0% 2012 1

5.6% Year Unknown 296

Key Statistics