Investigation into Chota Bazaar massacre in IIOJK demanded
Islamabad, June 12 (KMS): Human rights defenders issued an appeal to the Government of India to resume investigations into a case registered under Section 302 at Karan Nagar Police Station in Srinagar, the capital of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, on 11 June 1991, where several civilians were killed.
The 30th anniversary of the incident, which Kashmiris remember as Chota Bazaar massacre, requires a transparent probe and punishment for Indian forces’ personnel involved, said a press statement by YFK (Youth Forum For Kashmir), International Kashmir Lobby Group, an independent group working with international mechanisms for conflict resolution in Kashmir.
The demand came in a seminar organized by YFK in Islamabad where Mushaal Hussain Mullick, a rights activist and head of Peace and Culture Organization, spoke about her experience learning about the legacy of Chota Bazaar massacre while living in Srinagar. Other speakers included Maria Hamid, a scholar at National Defense University, and Ahmed Quraishi, YFK Executive Director and host of the event.
The objective of the event was to ensure that the Chota Bazaar incident is not forgotten, said Ahmed Quraishi, who explained that India has responsibilities in Kashmir as the administering power in a disputed region, and one of those responsibilities is to protect the life and property in the disputed region under administration, and ensure credible investigation into criminal cases, especially where significant loss of lives has occurred.
On June 11, 1991, local residents say an Indian paramilitary force company (Central Reserve Police Force-CRPF) came out of a camp located near the General Medical College (GMC), near the Chota Bazaar locality, and opened indiscriminate fire on shops and passersby. These were the early days of the launch of an armed struggle in Kashmir against symbols of Indian presence, and Indian military forces in the disputed region were in panic, leading to several violent incidents in 1990, 1991, and 1992, where it is suspected that Indian soldiers resorted to use of excessive force with impunity.
Indian authorities are yet to conclude a probe into the case thirty years later.
NDU’s Maria Hamid said the Indian responsibility for an incident in a territory under its military control where a large number of civilians inexplicably have lost lives is undeniable.
“Given the articles of Geneva Conventions on rights and status of an occupying force in a region, India is bound to respect Jammu and Kashmir’s sovereignty, maintain law and order by the local administration, ensure health, hygiene, medical care, food supplies, safety, and security of the general population,” the scholar added.
Mushaal Mullick, whose husband, the renowned Kashmiri liberation leader Yasin Malik, is jailed by Indian authorities, walked the audience through her experience in visiting the Chota Bazaar locality. She explained that this is a densely populated area where an attack by Indian forces would led to a high casualty figure, lending credence to reports that suggest up to 32 Kashmiris were killed in the incident.
Maria Hamid said that, under the jurisdiction of the law, the Indian Army is bound to respect public and private property.
YFK is a non-partisan, international non-governmental organization, working for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict in accordance with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
You must be logged in to post a comment.