25 years of Bijbehara massacre: A tale of bloodbath

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 10/23/2018 4:47:55 PM

SRINAGAR, Oct 22: October 22 marked the 25th year of the Bijbehara massacre in which at least 51 civilians were brutally killed after BSF personnel allegedly fired indiscriminately on hundreds of locals participating in a protest march.
Those who survived the carnage remember the day as a doomsday that befell the Bijbehara town on October 22, 1993.
As per the eye witnesses, on the day of October 22, 1993, hundreds of locals had taken to streets after Friday prayers to protest against the Hazratbal shrine siege.
As the protesters marched along the main market of Bijbehara town, the BSF personnel present there fired indiscriminately on the protesters resulting in on-spot death of scores of civilians where as several protesters were severely injured in the incident.
The brutal killing of 51 civilians in the massacre is referred to as Bijbehara massacre.
"After the Friday prayers were over people took out a protest march against the siege of Hazratbal shrine. As we reached the main road on national highway the BSF men present there opened indiscriminate fire on the protesters. They fired from their vehicles and within seconds the area turned into a site of carnage. There was blood everywhere; there were dead bodies," said a resident of Bijbehara, who survived the brutal massacre.
According to the survivors the injured were lifted in hand carts and horse carts to be shifted to hospital.
"Blood of the slain civilians was flowing everywhere and there were dead bodies scattered all around. The injured were in huge numbers and were being shifted to hospital in hand carts. That was a horrible scene," a survivor of the massacre recounts.
25 years have passed since the Bijbehara massacre was executed however no one involved in the carnage was convicted or tried.
Though an enquiry into the incident led to charging the forces involved with murder, however, the accused were later acquitted by the security forces court.
National Human Rights Commission had made attempts towards further enquiries into the massacre. However, due to the rejection by the then central government, in September 2000 NHRC dismissed the case.

 

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