Aniqa
It has been a 27 year long wait for the 57 families that shouldered the coffins of their young and old, blossoming and care-taking kith and kin shot dead at the hands of the Indian Border Security Forces personnel in the picturesque, Apple town of North Kashmir- Sopore in North Kashmir on the 6th day of January in 1993.
The Border Security Force’s (BSF) 94 Battalion set ablaze five localities of Sopore in broad daylight, fired on all sides- 48 died of bullet injuries, 9 were burnt alive and hundreds were wounded leaving them as the eyewitnesses to the gruesome inhumane massacre.
An eyewitness on the condition of anonymity told The Kashmiriyat, “I spotted the BSF Soldiers at a distance who stopped an SRTC Bus (JKY-1901) and pulled out the driver an went inside the bus, then the BSF men fired bullets mercilessly at 20 people, killing the all on the spot. “After the bus was filed with a pool of blood, the troopers started spraying gun powder, kerosene and petrol on the surrounding buildings and torched them.”
At least 400 commercial structures, 75 residential houses were set ablaze in five Sopore localities which included Arampora, Muslim Peer, Kralteng, Shalpora, Shahabad and Bob Mir Sahab- On the day the Women’s Degree college was also gutted in fire.
The Shalla family of Shalpora Sopore lost four of its members on the fateful day.
A commission was set up after 24 days of the massacre on 30th January headed by Justice Amarjeet Chowdary, who could not submit even one report till date and the fate of the inquiry is as of every commission set up to investigate the human rights violations in the state.
“Early morning, the locals heard a blast like sound from the New Colony Sopore that reverberated in the entire North Kashmir town. Everything seemed very normal, till there was a volley of gunshots fired at a distance and soon there was chaos as people ran for cover unlike the present times, when people rush towards the encounter sites, Soon the BSF men reached the town and started targeting every civilian with bullets,” the 57 year old eyewitness recalled.
He said that it was only after Sopore had buried its people that the BSF came with a theory that a local Militant had decamped with a rifle, somewhere in the township.
He recalled that in the days Jammu Kashmir police officials intervened and had a physical brawl with the BSF men who went on a killing spree. “It was only the Policemen who stopped the BSF men on the day, otherwise the causalities would have ben much higher than 57.” he told The Kashmiriyat, adding, A local police officer saved more than 20 civilians who were trapped in a gutted building.
A case was soon registered in the court of law, but was closed down. On 20 January 2014, The survivors of the Sopore massacre contested the closure of the case, after which the Central bureau of Investigation CBI was asked by the TADA court, Srinagar, to produce the entire investigation record.
Despite earlier court orders to the same effect, the CBI deliberately refused to share the record, so as to further delay the proceedings. The survivors have sought to challenge the CBI before the court as this is a way to contest the lies of the State, and its attempt to cover up the Sopore massacre of 1993. After the massacre, which resulted into huge loss of life and property, the denial of justice is only an endorsement of the crime by the Indian State,” he said
“I still have the haunting images in my mind, there was a shopkeeper who rushed out of his shop in flames and shouting for help, but there was no help on offer,” said the survivor of the massacre.
Even 28 years after the massacre, people of the area remember the day as horrifying and inhumane. The entire township shut in protest against the gruesome massacre which left 57 families dead and hundreds injured.
Here are the names of a few of them, as verified by The Kashmiriyat:
Abdul Majeed son of Shafi Sofi Nageen Bagh.
Altaf son of Ghulam Rasool Ganie, Bagh e Islam.
Majeed son of Ghulam Mohammad Gadoo of Baba Raza.
Ashraf son of Ghulam Hassan Kangoo, Khanqah Mohalla.
Ashraf Wani of Handwara, Khanqah Mohalla.
Muhamad sadeeq Gadisaz Badam Bagh.
Gh Nabi Zargar @ Shaheen Son of Qadir of Badami Bagh.
Ashraf Mir of Ashpeer Mohalla.
Ghulam Nabi Butt of Khaja Gilgat.
Mohammed Ayoub Balaki Sangram pora.
Javid Sheikh, Sangram Pora.
Farooq Banday son Rashid Sangram pora.
Abdul Ahad Laloo Son-in-law Razaq Laloo Muslim Pir.
Ghulam Rasool son of Mohamad Shaban, Shalapora Sopore.
Bashir Ahmad son of Ghulam Mohamad Shalapora Sopore.
Ashraf son of Mohamad Maqbool Shalpora Sopore.
Sajad son of Razaq Shalla of Shalapora.
Zahoor Khan son of Shafi Khan, Shalapora.
Gulzar Sheikh son of Abdullah Sheikh of Shahabad.
Khaliq son of Ghulam Mohidin Malik of Arampora Sopore.
Ismael @ Dara para son of Ghulam Ahmed Bhat of Marajpora, Sopore.
Muhamad Syed Allah Adhi pora Sopore.
Ghulam Rasool Hajam of Hajam Mohalla Sopore.
Ghulam Muhamamd War Lalad Sopore.
Habib Allah Mir Bank peon.
Ghulam Mohammad War son of Sultan War of Tujar Sharief, Sopore.
Abdul Rashid War Tujar Shareef.
Ghulam Rasool Sofi of #Rafiabad Reng Seth Handwara.
Misra wife of Asadullah Lone of Hatlongoo.
Mohammad Maqbool Dar son of Karim Dar, Muslim Pir .
Ghulam Mohidin son of Asadullah Mir Bandipora.
Rashid Driver son of Jabbar Sofi onagam Bandipora.
Sona Allah Rather, Shah Gund, Hajin Bandipora.
Naseer Ahmad of Sheeri Baramulla.
Mohammed Husain Mir and Ghulam Husain Mir sons of Mohidin of Towheed Bagh Varmul.
Abdul Razaq Khalko Srinagar.
Razak Chalkoo son Ghulam Mohammed of Baramulla.
Mohammed Ashraf of Chalkoo Sopore.
Dilawar Khan munj.
Muhammad Shaban Ganie of Arampora, Sopore.
Bashir Wani of Indergam Patan.
Ghulam Mohammed Wani son of Khaliq Wani of Iqbal Nagar, Sopore.
Abdul Ahad #Kanjwal (85) of Muslim Peer Sopore.
Ghulam Nabi Bhat of New Light Colony.
Ghulam Nabi Bhat son of Abdullah Bhat of Sangrampora.
Ashraf Kernaie son Hassan Kernaie of Khanqah Mohalla.
Mohamad Hussain Wani of Baramulla.
Bashir Wani of Wanigam Pattan.
Mushtaq Ahmad Balla son of Khazir Balla of Seer.
Rashid son of Ghulam Mohd War Tujar Sharief.
Gh Rasool son of Sultan Sofi of Langate.
Ghulam Mohammad Khan of Bandipora.
Bita Mir son of Ghulam Mohdin of Tawheed Gung Baramulla.
Bita Ganie son of Wali Mohammad of Syed Kareem Baramulla.
Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh of Krankshun colony.