On October 22, the town of Bijbehara in south Kashmir gathers early morning in a once-playground which later back resting ground 53 people who once played cricket in this ground.
The story dates back to October 9, 1993, when a rumor spread through the town of Bijbehara in south Kashmir that a gun was stolen from a BSF man. The army could not do much about it. Eyewitnesses recount that on 22 October 1993, the locals had come out to protest against the siege of Hazratbal, the most revered religious Khanqah in Kashmir.
People raised slogans against the siege and reached the Goriwan area of the town and that is when army men opened fire on the peaceful protesters, resulting in the death of 53 and incurring injuring more than 70 people.
The people of the Bijbehara area still commemorate October 22 as black day and hundreds gather at the ‘Martyrs Graveyard’. The ruins of several abandoned homes in the town is a standing testimony to the massacre.
Bijbehara is perhaps the first and only town in the valley where people have raised a memorial for the martyrs soon after the incident.
Mohammed Shafi Wagay (18), tried to lift the body of his brother who lay injured on the road and was shot dead there. Ghulam Ahmad Pandit (70), tried to pick up his son when he was shot dead, Sikandar Ahmad Thokru (46) A Policeman tried to help by way of lifting a dead body, but even he was not spared.
Sara, a woman tried to help an injured by giving him water, the BSF men upon spotting her, shot the same arm which held the glass of water.
Parvez Ahmad Dar (14), tried to pick up his cousin but was not able to as he too was shot dead.
Kamal Ji Koul was just mending the fence of a courtyard when he went looking for his brother. He saw many dead and injured on the main road and fell unconscious. Seeing some life in his body, an army man made him stand up. He pleaded that he is a Hindu but the security man shouted: “there are no Hindus here”.
Kamal was shot on his shoulder. Later, he ran only to receive a bullet on his back and fell dead.
Abdul Gani Hajam was holding his injured son in a vehicle that was moving towards Islamabad (Anantnag) district hospital. Abdul Rehman picked up 6 other injured in the same vehicle, army men stopped the vehicle for 20 minutes, resulting in excessive blood loss and all the 6 died in the vehicle.
The memorial is a standing structure in the shape of a monument in the playground turned martyr’s graveyard in New Colony Bijbehara. It has names of all the slain inscribed on it.