Sopore massacre
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The "Sopore Massacre" refers to the mass murder of civilians in the town of Sopore in Kashmir on 6 January 1993.
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[edit] Time Magazine's reports
On this day, 57 unarmed civilians were killed by the Indian troopers of Border Security Force. This is one of the few massacres that have been mentioned in TIME magazine. [1] The magazine described the massacre as:
“Perhaps there is a special corner in hell reserved for troopers who fire their weapons indiscriminately into a crowd of unarmed civilians. That, at least, must have been the hope of every resident who defied an army-enforced curfew in the Kashmiri town of Sopur to protest a massacre that left 55 people dead and scores injured.”
"It was India’s latest blow in a three-year campaign to crush the predominantly Muslim state’s bid for independence. In retaliation for the killing of one soldier, paramilitary forces rampaged through Sopur’s market setting buildings ablaze and shooting bystanders. The Indian government pronounced the event “unfortunate” and claimed that an ammunition dump had been hit by gunfire, setting off fires that killed most of the victims.”
The title of the news report read (on January 18, 1993) “Blood tide rising: Indian forces carry out one of the worst massacres in Kashmir’s history.”
Human Rights Watch tells the same story. [2]
[edit] Background
Sopore is a major town in Kashmir within the Baramulla District. It is 50 km 31 miles) north-west from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, a disputed state north of India.
Mainly known for its apples, Sopore has been a major trading center in Kashmir. Iqbal market is the main market of the town. Eight km (5 miles) from Sopore is the famed Wular lake, the largest fresh water lake in Asia.
[edit] The Massacre
[edit] Militant Attack
It was the chilly winter morning of January 6, 1993 when militants attacked the troopers of (Border Security Force) BSF at Baba Yousuf Lane near the Sopur town’s main street, killing a trooper. The militants also took away a rifle of the slain trooper as well.
[edit] Indian Troops Retalliate
After the attack and suffering casualties, the troopers cordoned off the whole area restricting the movement of public. Within moments, they opened indiscriminate fire on unarmed civilians and set on fire markets, mainly Iqbal Market, and Women’s Degree College.
The local residents regard the incident as one of the worst massacres in the history of Kashmir.
“I cannot forget that horrendous incident till I am alive; the troops were on rampage; I lost two relatives in the incident,” said Ali Muhammad, an eyewitness and survivor of the carnage. “I wonder can doomsday be worse,” he says.
The mayhem continued for more than two hours with people—helpless and hopeless—watching the devastation from a distance. None from the civil administration or Fire Service Department came to the rescue of the hapless people. Only the valor and heroism of the local populace made its appearance, helping each other. In one hour, the locals recovered the dead bodies of more than 50 civilians and miraculously rescued many more.
"Some fifteen civilians who tired to rescue their brethren were also shot dead by the troopers", said Abdul Majid, a survivor. Ghulam Nabi Bhat of New Light Hotel shouldered 11 dead bodies and before he could carry the 12th, he too was shot dead.
[edit] Aftermath
In the reconstructed Iqbal Market it is hard to find the traces of the carnage the Border Security Force troopers carried out on January 6, 1993, killing 157 persons, most of them roasted alive in shops, buses, and houses. The troopers set about 100 houses and 300 shops on fire after dousing them with gunpowder, the local residents recall.
For three days people rummaged the debris for dead bodies. Strong protests rocked the town for many days continuously. Many charities came up but soon vanished. The insurance companies refused to give any compensation to the victims. The victims knocked the doors of government offices but to no avail.
[edit] The dead
Victims included:
- Abdul Majid Sofi, 35, s/o Muhammad Shafi r/o Krankshiwan
- Abdur Rashid War s/o Ghulam Muhammad War r/o Tujarsherief, Sopore
- Abdul Khaliq Malik s/o Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din r/o Arampora
- Abdul Ahad Kanjwal r/o Muslimpeer
- Abdul Ahad Shalla r/o Shallapora
- Abdur Rashid Sofi s/o Abdul Jabbar r/o Wanagam, Bandipora
- Abdul Ahad Liloo,70, r/o Bba Yousu, Sopore
- Abdur Razaq Chalkoo s/o Ghulam Muhammad
- Bashir Ahmad Shalla s/o Ghulam Rasool r/o Shallapora, Sopore
- Farooq Ahmad Banday s/o Abdur Rashid r/o Sangrampora, Sopore
- Ghulam Nabi Zargar alias Shaheen s/o Qadir Joo r/o Badamibagh Sopore
- Ghulam Muhammad War s/o Muhammad Sultan r/o Tujarshrief
- Ghulam Nabi Bhat s/o Haji Abdullah r/o Sangrampora
- Gulzar Ahmad Sheikh s/o Muhammad Abdullah r/o Shahabad Sopore
- Ghulam Mohi-Ud-Din s/o Assadullah r/o Nathpora, Bandipora
- Ghulam Rasool Sofi s/o Muhammad. Sultan r/o Langate
- Ghulam Muhammad Khan r/o Bandipora
- Ghulam Muhammad Hajam s/o Abdul Gaffar r/o Mohallah Hajampora, Sopore.
