SRINAGAR: The families of victims of Kupwara massacre in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) continue to await justice even after the passing of more than three decades.
On January 27, 1994, a day following India’s Republic Day, Indian forces had massacred 27 civilians in Kupwara. The mass killing was conducted by the forces to punish people for observing a complete shutdown on January 26, western media reported.
Local people had also told the media and investigation agencies that a day before the slaughter took place, an Indian army officer had asked the local shopkeepers not to observe the strike and attend the Indian Republic Day celebrations at the local camp. However, the shopkeepers did not turn up at the Indian Republic Day celebrations.
Kupwara Massacre: Victims’ Families Still Await Justice 3 Decades on IIOJK
But the next day, when shopkeepers were opening their shops, Indian army personnel came in trucks and fired at them indiscriminately, killing 27 civilians and injuring scores of others.
In the wake of a case filed by the Chairman of International Forum for Justice and Human Rights, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, the Human Rights Commission of the occupied territory had asked the officials concerned to submit a report regarding the massacre.
The police investigation team had also sought response from the Indian army, which issued a letter stating that a Court of Inquiry had been set up to probe the incident but the outcome of the Court of Inquiry was not furnished to the police department.
The Kupwara carnage is a reminder of the criminal face of Indian forces. The history of IIOJK is filled with Kupwara-like massacres.
Indian forces involved in Kupwara carnage and other mass killings in IIOJK have not been punished till date.
New Delhi must remember that such brutalities cannot stop people of Kashmir from taking the freedom struggle to logical end.
