Religion:1998 Wandhama massacre
| Wandhama Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Wandhama, Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Date | 25 January 1998 |
| Target | Kashmiri Hindus |
Attack type | Mass murder |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Perpetrators | Lashkar-e-Taiba Hizbul Mujahideen[1] |
| Motive | Islamist Terrorism |
The 1998 Wandhama massacre refers to the killings of 23 Kashmiri Hindus in the town of Wandhama [ ⚑ ] 34°14′55″N 74°44′00″E / 34.2486°N 74.7333°E in the Ganderbal District of the India n-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir on 25 January, 1998 by militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.[2] The victims included four children and nine women.[3][4] The Lashkar-e-Taiba/ Hizbul Mujahideen was blamed for perpetrating the massacre.[5]
Background
Wandhama is a small town near Ganderbal in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in India .[6][7][8]
The massacre
On 25 January 1998, 26 Kashmiri Hindus living in the village of Wandhama were killed by militants. According to the testimony of one of the survivors of the incident, a 14-year-old Hindu boy named Vinod Kuman Dhar[citation needed], the gunmen came to their house dressed like Indian Army soldiers[citation needed], had tea with them, waiting for a radio message indicating that all Hindu families in the village had been covered[citation needed]. After a brief conversation they rounded up all the members of the Hindu households and then summarily gunned them down with Kalashnikov rifles.[9] The massacre was allegedly committed under Abdul Hamid Gada of Hizbul Mujahideen and was timed to coincide with the Shab-e-Qadar, the holiest night of the month of Ramzan, when believers stay awake until dawn.[10] Gada was subsequently killed in an operation by Indian security forces in 2000.[11]
Reactions
The day after the incident, agitating Kashmiri Hindus clashed with police in the Capital, New Delhi, when they broke barricades and tried to force their way to the National Human Rights Commission. At least 11 Kashmiri Hindus were injured when they were hit by water cannon.[12]
Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral joined the mourners in Kashmir's Wandhama village on 28 January.[citation needed] The Prime Minister was accompanied by Governor K V Krishna Rao, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and Union Minister for Environment Saifuddin Soz. He said:
I have come here to express my grief on behalf of the nation. The people of Punjab had unitedly defeated the nefarious designs of the enemy. The people of Kashmir will also defeat the designs.
There were protests in several refugee camps where Kashmiri Hindus had been living since their exodus in 1990.[13]
See also
- 2003 Nadimarg massacre
- List of massacres in India
- 1998 Prankote massacre
Notes
International Terrorism. Darby, PA: Diane Publishing. 2001. ISBN 9780756701055.
References
- ↑ "Violent 'army of the pure'". BBC News. 2001-12-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/865818.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ↑ "Villagers massacred in Kashmir". BBC News. 26 January 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/50620.stm. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ↑ "State Department comments on the Massacre". http://usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/press/state/archive/1998/january/sd4129.htm. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- ↑ International Terrorism p.157
- ↑ "Violent 'army of the pure'". BBC News. 2001-12-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/865818.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ↑ Kashmir Massacre May Signal the Coming of Widespread Violence, The New York Times , 2003-03-25. ProQuest 92698458, ProQuest 2230066200
- ↑ Kashmir Massacre Shakes Village’s Sense of Fraternity, Los Angeles Times , 2003-03-30. ProQuest 421765061
- ↑ Who are the Kashmir militants? BBC News - August 1, 2012
- ↑ Dutta, Pradeep (28 July 2002). "I saw them kill my entire family". The Indian Express. http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/archive_full_story.php?content_id=6689.
- ↑ Swami, Parveen (April 2000). "The killing of Hamid Gada". http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1707/17070360.htm.
- ↑ 'Top militant' killed in Kashmir, BBC, 14 March 2000
- ↑ Wandhama’s endless night The Pioneer - 24 June 2008
- ↑ "Migrant Pandits voted for end of terror in valley". The Tribune. 27 April 2007. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040428/j&k.htm#1.
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