Gawakadal massacre
Encyclopedia
The Gawakadal massacre was named after the Gawakadal bridge in Srinagar
, Kashmir
, where, on January 20, 1990, the India
n paramilitary troops of the Central Reserve Police Force
opened fire on a group of unarmed Kashmiri
protesters, including women and children. At least 35 people were killed (according to survivors, the actual death toll may have been as high as 280) in what has been described by some authors as "the worst massacre
in Kashmiri history."
region of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir
in November 1989, though unrest had been building in the state since the 1987 elections, which were rigged by the Indian government and the National Conference to ensure the defeat of a coalition of pro-independence and pro-autonomy parties. Following the December, 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
, daughter of Indian Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the government decided to take a harder stance against the separatist rebellion. To that end, despite fierce opposition from the state government, New Delhi appointed Jagmohan
, a known forceful administrator, governor of the state. As a result, the state government, then led by Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah
resigned in protest, and the state went under President's rule
.
On January 19, 1990, the night Jagmohan
was appointed governor, Indian security forces conducted extensive, warrant-less, and therefore illegal house-to-house searches in Srinagar
, in an effort to find illegal weapons and root out any hidden militants. Hundreds of people were arrested, and many Kashmiris claimed that they had been dragged out of their homes, and were beaten and abused by the Indian soldiers. Both Jagmohan
and Abdullah
deny any involvement in the decision to carry out the raid.
took to the streets in protest, demanding independence. Jagmohan
responded by putting the city under curfew. That evening, a large group of protesters shouting pro-independence slogans, reached Srinagar
's Gawakadal Bridge over the Jhelum River
. There, CRPF
troops responded by surrounding the bridge and opening fire on the unarmed crowd, which included women and children, with automatic weapons.
Survivor Farooq Ahmed described to reporters how after the initial firing, the CRPF slowly went forward across the bridge, killing off the wounded and kicking corpses into the river:
Indian authorities put the official death toll for the massacre at 28, though eyewitnesses like Ahmed believe that the actual death toll may have been 10 times higher International human rights organizations and scholars estimate that at least 50, and likely over 100 protesters were killed - some by gunshot wounds, other by drowning after they jumped into the river in fear.
stated in a report from May, 1991, “In the weeks that followed [the Gawakadal massacre] as security forces fired on crowds of marchers and as militants intensified their attacks against the police and those suspected of aiding them, Kashmir’s civil war began in earnest.” MJ Akbar, editor of Asian Age
newspaper, said of the massacre, "January 19 became the catalyst which propelled into a mass upsurge. Young men from hundreds of homes crossed over into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to receive arms and training in insurrection…Pakistan came out in open support of secession, and for the first time, did not need to involve its regular troops in the confrontation. In Srinagar, each mosque became a citadel of fervor."
No known action was ever taken against the CRPF
forces officials responsible for the massacre, or against the officers present at Gawakadal that night. No government investigation was ever ordered into the incident.
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
, where, on January 20, 1990, the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n paramilitary troops of the Central Reserve Police Force
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
opened fire on a group of unarmed Kashmiri
Kashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
protesters, including women and children. At least 35 people were killed (according to survivors, the actual death toll may have been as high as 280) in what has been described by some authors as "the worst massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
in Kashmiri history."
Background
Violence erupted in the KashmirKashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
region of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
in November 1989, though unrest had been building in the state since the 1987 elections, which were rigged by the Indian government and the National Conference to ensure the defeat of a coalition of pro-independence and pro-autonomy parties. Following the December, 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed
The 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed was an act carried out by members of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, a Kashmiri Muslim militant organization, on December 8, 1989 in Jammu and Kashmir. Rubaiya was the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the then Home minister of India in the V. P. Singh...
, daughter of Indian Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the government decided to take a harder stance against the separatist rebellion. To that end, despite fierce opposition from the state government, New Delhi appointed Jagmohan
Jagmohan
Jag Mohan Malhotra is an Indian politician. He was born on 25 September 1927 in Hafizabad, Punjab in British India.*He is a former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir state in India.*He was in government service for many years....
, a known forceful administrator, governor of the state. As a result, the state government, then led by Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah
Farooq Abdullah
Farooq Abdullah , born 21 October 1937 in Soura, Jammu & Kashmir, India), is the son of Sheikh Abdullah, is a doctor of medicine and has served as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982. He is married to Molly, a nurse of British origin...
resigned in protest, and the state went under President's rule
President's rule
President's rule is the term used in India when a state legislature is dissolved or suspended and the state is placed under direct federal rule...
.
On January 19, 1990, the night Jagmohan
Jagmohan
Jag Mohan Malhotra is an Indian politician. He was born on 25 September 1927 in Hafizabad, Punjab in British India.*He is a former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir state in India.*He was in government service for many years....
was appointed governor, Indian security forces conducted extensive, warrant-less, and therefore illegal house-to-house searches in Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
, in an effort to find illegal weapons and root out any hidden militants. Hundreds of people were arrested, and many Kashmiris claimed that they had been dragged out of their homes, and were beaten and abused by the Indian soldiers. Both Jagmohan
Jagmohan
Jag Mohan Malhotra is an Indian politician. He was born on 25 September 1927 in Hafizabad, Punjab in British India.*He is a former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir state in India.*He was in government service for many years....
and Abdullah
Farooq Abdullah
Farooq Abdullah , born 21 October 1937 in Soura, Jammu & Kashmir, India), is the son of Sheikh Abdullah, is a doctor of medicine and has served as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982. He is married to Molly, a nurse of British origin...
deny any involvement in the decision to carry out the raid.
The massacre
As word of the searches spread the next morning (January 20, 1990), thousands of KashmirisKashmiri people
The Kashmiri people are a Dardic linguistic group living in Kashmir Valley in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and parts of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir who speak the Kashmiri language...
took to the streets in protest, demanding independence. Jagmohan
Jagmohan
Jag Mohan Malhotra is an Indian politician. He was born on 25 September 1927 in Hafizabad, Punjab in British India.*He is a former Governor of Jammu and Kashmir state in India.*He was in government service for many years....
responded by putting the city under curfew. That evening, a large group of protesters shouting pro-independence slogans, reached Srinagar
Srinagar
Srinagar is the summer seasonal capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It is situated in Kashmir Valley and lies on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus. It is one of the largest cities in India not to have a Hindu majority. The city is famous for its gardens, lakes and houseboats...
's Gawakadal Bridge over the Jhelum River
Jhelum River
Jehlum River or Jhelum River , ) is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab, and passes through Jhelum District...
. There, CRPF
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
troops responded by surrounding the bridge and opening fire on the unarmed crowd, which included women and children, with automatic weapons.
Survivor Farooq Ahmed described to reporters how after the initial firing, the CRPF slowly went forward across the bridge, killing off the wounded and kicking corpses into the river:
"Just as I was about to get up I saw soldiers coming forward, shooting anyone who was injured. Someone pointed at me and shouted, 'that man is alive,' and a soldier began firing at me with a machine gun. I was hit four times in the back and twice in the arms."
Indian authorities put the official death toll for the massacre at 28, though eyewitnesses like Ahmed believe that the actual death toll may have been 10 times higher International human rights organizations and scholars estimate that at least 50, and likely over 100 protesters were killed - some by gunshot wounds, other by drowning after they jumped into the river in fear.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the massacre, more demonstrations followed, and in January 1990, Indian paramilitary forces are believed to have killed around 300 protesters. As a Human Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
stated in a report from May, 1991, “In the weeks that followed [the Gawakadal massacre] as security forces fired on crowds of marchers and as militants intensified their attacks against the police and those suspected of aiding them, Kashmir’s civil war began in earnest.” MJ Akbar, editor of Asian Age
Asian Age
The Asian Age is an Indian daily newspaper with editions in four major cities in India and one in London. The newspaper was launched in February 1994, simultaneously in Delhi, Mumbai and London. At present, it has editions in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and London. The Asian Age brings out...
newspaper, said of the massacre, "January 19 became the catalyst which propelled into a mass upsurge. Young men from hundreds of homes crossed over into Pakistan-administered Kashmir to receive arms and training in insurrection…Pakistan came out in open support of secession, and for the first time, did not need to involve its regular troops in the confrontation. In Srinagar, each mosque became a citadel of fervor."
No known action was ever taken against the CRPF
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
forces officials responsible for the massacre, or against the officers present at Gawakadal that night. No government investigation was ever ordered into the incident.