Twenty-two years have passed since the massacre of Chattisinghpora but no headway has been made in the case and the delay in justice has led to disillusionment among the members of Sikh community.
Thirty-five members of Sikh community were killed in disguise by Indian troops in Chattisinghpora area of Islamabad district on March 20 in 2000 on the eve of the then US President, Bill Clinton’s visit to India, said a report released by Kashmir Media Service, today.
It said that the Chattisingpora massacre was meant to give a bad name to Kashmiris’ freedom struggle and it was an attempt to equate Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination to terrorism.
The report said that the Chattisingpora-like massacres were perpetrated to malign the Kashmiris’ freedom movement, adding that in the past 32 years, IIOJK had witnessed many brutal massacres committed by Indian troops in the territory.
It is important to mention here that Indian troops had orchestrated the Chittisinghpora carnage and put the blame on the Kashmiri freedom-fighters to defame their freedom movement.
The troops had killed five persons and burnt their bodies beyond recognition in Pathribal area of the district a few days later on March 25 claiming that the killed were involved in the Chittisinghpora incident. However, later the investigations proved that the slain persons were local civilians, who were picked up by the Indian Army from different areas and were killed in a fake encounter.—KMS
