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

Victim Demographics

Gender

97.7% Male 5,177

2.3% Female 121

Marital status

57.9% Not married 3,068

41.9% Married 2,219

If married, did the victim have children?

35.9% Yes 1,900

4.8% No 253

Total children surviving victims: 5,197

Religion

98.1% Sikh 5,198

1.8% Non-Sikh 97

Caste

70.7% Jat 3,744

29.2% Non-Jat 1,546

Age

6.8% 0-17 358

74.0% 18-33 3,922

14.0% 34-49 744

3.6% 50-64 192

1.5% 65+ 77

0.3% Age unknown 16

Education

23.6% No education 1,252

16.8% Primary school 890

16.2% Middle school 857

33.5% High school 1,777

2.2% Some college 114

3.5% College degree 187

1.6% Graduate degree 83

2.1% Vocational degree 110

Employment

43.4% Farmer/agriculture 2,299

13.0% Day labourer 690

9.9% Student 527

5.1% Driver (bus/truck/car) 272

4.1% Shopkeeper 217

3.0% Unemployed 161

2.1% Mechanic 111

1.6% Housewife 83

0.5% Carpenter 29

23.3% Other 1,236

Urban / Rural

84.0% Rural 4,451

8.5% Urban 450

Abduction, Detention, & Torture

Prior detentions

44.9% Yes 2,379

54.4% No 2,883

Prior torture

34.9% Yes 1,851

10.0% No 528

Abduction preceding enforced disappearance/extrajudicial execution

78.0% Yes 4,130

19.6% No 1,041

Security officials informed witnesses where they were taking the victim

19.9% Yes 638

76.6% No 2,458

Witnesses to abduction

60.5% Yes 3,207

5.4% No 286

Victim abduction location

19.3% Victim’s residence 1,021

14.1% Roadside 745

10.4% Friend/relative's residence 553

6.4% Village fields 341

3.2% Shop/market 168

2.9% Police station 153

2.5% Checkpoint (naka) 130

2.3% Bus station/stand 120

0.7% Village drain 37

11.2% Other 595

Detention facility type

Data forthcoming

Preceding detention location known

49.3% Yes 2,611

28.3% No 1,501

Witnesses to detention preceding enforced disappearance/extrajudicial execution

Data forthcoming

Security official response to victim status

13.1% Gave no response 694

11.7% Other 618

11.6% Denied involvement 612

7.0% Told family to go to another police station 373

5.2% Killed victim in an “encounter” 277

4.3% Admitted extrajudicial execution with no explanation 229

2.0% Admitted custody only 107

1.7% Victim had escaped 88

0.5% Victim accidentally killed in custody 24

0.3% Victim killed by militants 18

0.3% Victim killed in crossfire with militants 18

0.1% Victim killed while trying to escape 7

0.0% Victim killed by black cats 2

0.0% Victim killed while resisting arrest/search 1

Victim presented before judge/magistrate

3.8% Yes 202

52.9% No 2,805

Enforced Disappearances vs. Extrajudicial Executions

Classification

84.1% Extrajudicial executions 4,455

15.9% Enforced disappearances 843

Number of victims per family

82.5% 1 victim 4,369

12.7% 2 victim 671

3.4% 3 victim 181

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

95.8% No genuine encounters in family 5,076

Body Disposal

Body disposal by security forces

31.7% Cremated the body 1,678

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

Security forces returned body

15.7% Yes 830

1.4% Yes, but forced immediate cremation 74

66.8% No 3,539

Condition of corpse, if known

13.5% Bullet wounds 715

3.5% Cuts/wounds 187

3.4% Broken bones 180

3.4% Bruises 179

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

52.2% Yes 2,763

24.8% No 1,312

Security forces uniformed

85.4% Yes 2,738

10.3% No 329

Type(s) of security forces involved in abduction

69.9% Punjab Police 3,702

9.1% CRPF 482

2.9% Criminal Investigation Agency 152

2.3% Other 120

1.7% Black cat 90

1.5% BSF 79

0.9% Army 46

Type(s) of security forces involved in extrajudicial execution

73.2% Punjab police 3,880

8.0% CRPF 426

2.7% Criminal Investigation Agency 142

2.2% Black cat 116

2.0% BSF 107

1.6% Army 83

1.5% Other 82

Militancy Involvement

Combatant status

39.4% Combatant 2,090

56.9% Non-combatant 3,016

Non-combatant, provided support to militants

14.4% Yes 763

39.8% No 2,108

If provided support, support was voluntary

9.2% Yes 490

4.4% No 233

Remedies & Impact

Approached court or commission

35.4% Yes 1,876

63.5% No 3,363

Approached security officials

45.3% Yes 2,398

53.8% No 2,852

Reason the family did not pursue any kind of action

49.8% Afraid of retaliation 2,637

18.6% 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

72.7% Monetary compensation to family 3,851

60.4% Truth commission 3,202

58.0% Employment 3,074

36.3% Criminal sanctions against those responsible 1,921

32.6% Public acknowledgement of wrongful deaths 1,726

32.5% Investigations into abuses 1,720

19.6% Rehabilitation services to family members 1,039

16.3% Memorial for victims 864

5.1% Desire nothing from government 272

3.1% Other 163

Year & District

District

39.6% Amritsar 2,098

2.6% Bathinda 140

1.2% Faridkot 62

0.9% Fatehgarh Sahib 47

5.9% Firozpur 312

12.0% Gurdaspur 635

1.8% Hoshiarpur 94

3.0% Jalandhar 161

3.0% Kapurthala 157

5.9% Ludhiana 311

1.7% Mansa 92

4.7% Moga 249

0.8% Muktsar 40

0.9% Nawanshahr 47

2.1% Patiala 112

2.0% Rupnagar 104

4.5% Sangrur 238

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

4.9% 1988 257

7.8% 1989 412

8.5% 1990 451

19.4% 1991 1,027

26.5% 1992 1,405

13.0% 1993 687

2.2% 1994 115

0.7% 1995 39

0.4% 1996 19

0.2% 1997 11

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% Date Unknown 297

Key Statistics