Syed Goussia Tabassum
Time flies away, but the agony of any gruesome episode leaves eternal imprints in the hearts of people. The dents which can never be compensated, the wounds that never stop aching, the pain remains youthful and the cries of despair keep roaring.
In this long driven bloody conflict, the valley confronts a number of incidents and among all these incidents the Khanyar massacre that took place on 8th May 1991 will be remembered in the bloody history of Kashmir as a dark day alongside many blood-soaked chapters of history. The episode is so old that after some time it will be obsolete and demanding justice for the same will be futile.
ALSO READ: People Expectant of Gallantry Awards For Forces, As Kashmir Witnesses Another Massacre
But the thing which needs to adhere is after the period of almost three decades the justice is yet to be delivered and this continued delay of justice is a big question mark on the whole judicial system.
Thirty years past, twenty-three civilians killed (as per official record) in Khanyar area of downtown Srinagar and the victims of the massacre are yet to get justice. On 8th May 1991, the massacre took place at Khanyar Srinagar when a peaceful procession carrying the coffins of three persons killed at Saida kadal locality was being bought for burial.
About five in the evening, when a peaceful procession carrying the dead bodies of persons killed in Dachhigam incident and those killed at Saidkadal locality were being brought for burial, reciting verses of Holy Quran, the armed forces deployed in the area started indiscriminate firing on the mourners and killed about twenty unarmed civilians and injured more than fifty two persons
In this incident one infant aged two years and his father were among the victims.
“The Father died trying to protect his two year old son who had been shot dead by the Government Forces,” an eyewitness told The Kashmiriyat.
Also four persons of the same family got killed whose dead bodies were in the mosque of the locality till late night. Number of dead persons could not be identified and were buried later after great difficulty.
The authorities did not allow any one to perform the religious ceremonies. A team of local and foreign media men tried their best to visit the spot but were not allowed by the forces and the Government.
However, some media men already accompanying the mourners procession while performing their professional duties have also witnessed the occurrence and agreed that no provocation was offered by anyone from among the mourners procession but forces indiscriminately fired and killed scores of people.
After some time when the firing stopped, people tried to move to their respective places, a group of paramilitary forces coming from Nowhutta started firing again on the passers-by due to which some more persons got killed and number of others injured.
As per eyewitness testimonials, the mourners were showered with bullets leaving at least 70 people dead out of which 28 died on spot and the rest succumbed to their injuries later on.
ALSO READ: The Black Friday- 22 October 1993, 53 Civilians Shot Dead
But the tale of this massacre is beyond plain statistics, the pain and agony of the victims were not only all about these 70 dead bodies, but it was about every single person who was the part of the family or even who was the part of the community. The families of victims lost not only their dear ones in this horrendous massacre but the flood of grief and sorrows still echo in the lanes, and in the hearts of those who lost their dear ones.
The children of Mohammad Amin, one of the victims have lost hope in the judicial system, while as the sisters of Fayaz Ahmad Anchari not only lost their beloved brother but the whole family went into severe depression as they lost their sole bread earner, the backbone of their family. The sister of Fayaz proclaimed that “my father and my mother are now mere bodies without soul due to the mental shock,”.
“From that incident, they have had psychological disorders, they suffer from schizophrenia, the whole burden of supporting my family went on the shoulders of my brother who was a mere student of 9th standard and his education became a victim.”
Fayaz’s sister same is the case of Imtiyaz Ahmed where this son in search of justice for his mother has lost his everything “In search of Justice, her hair turned grey, she lost the sight of her eyes and health lost it tranquility but still justice is yet to delivered.”
ALSO READ: 1 September 1990- An Untold Massacre from Pulwama
The catered eyes of the old father of Shaheema is still agog to meet “Justice,” the nodded head, bent back, walking stick in the hand the old father sitting on the stairs sobs and murmurs “oh dear come back home”!
However, in regard to this massacre, a petition was filed by the Chairman of an international forum for justice (IFJ) Mohammad Ahsan Untoo in the state human rights commission (SHRC) on Feb 28, 2013. But, the documents are transiting into mere pieces of paper becoming the heap of one office to the other.
Despite twenty-seven years have passed, no culprit has been brought to the book.
The deluded sense of ‘compensatory justice’ has not worked even here, as the families even after 28 years are doing rounds of courts and trying to find justice and there is an urgent need for justice to be done. Otherwise, it will remain a huge question mark on the whole judicial system.
Such stories are heart-wrenching beyond explanation, But the whispers of ailing hearts chant a single slogan “when will justice be delivered”.
Syed Goussia Tabassum is a law student at Kashmir University and can be reached at syedsehar45@gmail.com