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When Jeet Kour lost her husband, 2 sons, 2 grandchildren
ESS AHMAD. Dated: 3/21/2018 7:01:21 AM
18 years on bloodbath remains a mystery
ANANTNAG, Mar 20: Chattisinghpora massacre may be a closed chapter for the government but for Jeet Kour who lost five family members in the blood bath, the wounds of losing her loved ones will never heal. Eighteen years after the massacre was carried out the horrific scenes of the bloodbath continues to haunt her.
"The gory scene of how our loved were massacred refuses to go out my memory and eyes. They came and made the male members of our community near Gurdwara and another spot and rained bullets on them killing all of them on spot," Jeet Kour told reporters.
On the evening March 20, 2000 unidentified uniformed men entered the Sikh dominated village and killed at least 35 Sikhs.
Recalling the fateful evening, Jeet Kour said, "It was evening time when they forcibly gathered our men. I also went out alone in search of my loved ones but they had killed them all. Our dears were snatched from us. Do you think it is a small thing? What crime they had done?" she asked.
Besides her husband, Faqeer Singh, Kour had lost two sons and two grandsons.
"In my own family five people were killed but including cousins we lost nine people. Eighteen years have passed but we still don't know who killed our dears. My heart is filled with rage over why they killed my darlings. If I find those killers I will kill them," she told reporters.
Paramjeet Singh was only seven years d when the massacre was carried out but eighteen years down the line he vividly members the horrific scene.
"I was the evening time and I was sitting at home. Soon the news spread that uniformed men had launched a crackdown in the village. Hearing the news we chose to remain indoors. But the uniformed men had stopped and assembled all those at two places who were out on work and were returning home. Soon we heard a gunshot and few seconds later the guns roared for at least fifteen minutes. After the firing stopped every one rushed out of their homes only to see the rivers of blood flowing," Paramjeet told Kashmir Times.
He said that all the 35 Sikhs massacred had bullets on their heads, chests and abdomen.
Like other Sikhs of the village, what haunts Paramjeet is that the massacre continues to be a mystery even after nearly two decades.
"Who carried out the massacre and why haunts us every moment? See every year media people come here and report how the incident had taken place. For two to three days it remains in news but then again there is silence. We want the killers of our loved ones be exposed and punished. And we will continue to raise our voice for justice as long as we are alive," Paramjeet said.