Jammu, March 20 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Vice President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), Jaspal Singh has revealed that the independent investigation into the Massacre of Sikhs, which took place on March 20, 2000 in the Chittisinghpora village of Islamabad district, was barred by the then Indian Interior Minister and senior Bharatiya Janta Party leader, Lal Krishan Advani.

Jaspal Singh made the revelation in a media interview in Jammu. He said that the then puppet Chief Minister of occupied Kashmir, Doctor Farooq Abdullah wanted to investigate the matter by justice Pandian but L.K Advani directed him not to do so.

38 Sikhs were killed during the massacre, when the Indian army agents fired indiscriminately on the residents of the village. The incident occurred when the then US President Bill Clinton was on a visit to India.

Five days after the massacre, troops of Rashtriya Rifles and personnel of the Special Operations Group of police had claimed that they killed five persons at Pathribal in Islamabad, involved in the massacre. Later, however, the five slain men turned out as civilians, butchered in what is now known as the infamous Pathribal massacre. The victims had been randomly picked up from their houses, shot dead, burnt to death and then buried quietly.

Jaspal Singh also gave the reference of the former US minister for the foreign affairs, Madeleine Albright’s book’s preface in which the then American President, Bill Clinton wrote that he had received the information about the incident a few days before his visit to India.

Jaspal Singh said that two months ago the former puppet chief minister his meeting with a delegation disclosed that L.K Adwani had restricted him from investigating the Messacre. He demanded that CBI should probe the matter to uncover the truth.