Remembering Sopore Massacre
By Faizan Bashir
Sopore massacre marks one of the horrific tragedies, that dates back to – 6, 1 – 1993. The `large scale destruction’ left many dead; hundreds of shops were smashed to grounds; many houses were ascended to ashes. Hardly a few, with God’s grace, were left to moan and mourn on the corpses! Sigh!
It was on Wednesday morning — before a dawn could fall and bring merriment to many —that some `JKLF Men’ gunned down one of the Indian `Border Security Forces’ along the gully of `Shalla Pora’ near Main chock, who by snatching a weapon went disappeared. Agreed.
But, what happened after would surely send shudders down your spine. The then military personnel without any respite took recourse to indiscriminate firing. “Many were dead on the spot. Rest were left at the mercy of death; Organic pieces were lying along the road!”
There are plethora of accounts, eyewitnesses who have managed to escape death; and, endure the pain of seeing others in the affliction-
“It still haunts me! When passengers were ruthlessly taken out by these military barbarians from `SRTC BUS’, even a driver was not spared, and rounds of bullets were showered on them.
Human fleshes I have seen on the roads.“Jallado, Jallado (Burn, Burn) would utter some of them, and they sprayed flammable substances on to the roofs of shops, houses, buildings – conflagrated them to mere ashes.
Decimations were across the town. And, later when we opened the shutters, charred bodies of people were lying.” Say eyewitnesses.
“They bought their vultures hands over a child of a `Pregnant lady’, and threw him to the fire which was flaring up with each passing minute.” Say others.
“Later, the reports came that 57 civilians have been killed in a cross firing between militants and security forces – which was a lie.” Says a survivor.
Such horrendous acts of humanity are believed to be the most horrific in the entire history of Jammu and Kashmir.
Answer these: Anyways, psychologically the perpetrators of the massacre had itself spilled the beans at that time, we have sheer affection for you- as they say now, in what should have been given a try to find out the militants instead. Doesn’t it make sense? And, what they say the then authorities had suspended the Jawans. Only suspended!? Was our blood worth of that only? And, Justice of bringing them to books is yet to come…!!!
(Author is a freelancer & Can be reached at: [email protected])
KV Network
