M A I N   N E W S

Carnage sparks off protests
Calls for bandh; Badal reaches Srinagar
From Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

CHATTI SINGHPORA (Anantnag), March 21 — The first attack of its kind on Sikh community, that left 35 persons dead, in the over decade-long militancy in Kashmir, left the community shaken as hundreds of them converged at the village today. Unidentified gunmen in Army fatigues had on Monday night shot dead 35 Sikhs and injured two others, one person seriously, after they asked these villagers to come out of their houses for “cordon and search operations” in this remote village, about 70 km south of Srinagar, last evening.

Women cry over the body of a relative who was among the 36 male Sikhs killed by unidentified gunmen at Chatti Singhpora in Kashmir on Monday. — AFP photo

The incident has been condemned by all sections of the society, the separatist All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and some militant organisations. Tension gripped the whole area around Anantnag district headquarters today where all shops and business establishments were closed and traffic was off the road.

Senior state ministers and officials, including the Works Minister, Mr Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah, accompanied by two of his ministerial colleagues, the Director-General of Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, and Army, BSF, CRPF and ITBP officers also reached the spot.

According to the DIG, Anantnag-Pulwama Range, Mr Raja Ajaz Ali, militants in Army fatigues divided themselves into two groups of over 10 militants each, attacked the villagers and killed 35 of them. He said that militants asked the Sikh villagers to converge at two places as they were operating from two different places at a distance of 150 m. Both these spots happened to be the main entrances of Gurdwara located in the village. Mr Ali said that 17 persons were found dead in front of each of two Gurdwaras, while two others were injured, out of whom one person later succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to a hospital.

He said that the militants could not be identified as they were in Army fatigues... but there are indications made from their speech that they were all militants,” Mr Ali said.

The police had to fire in air to disperse agitating Sikh youth, who disallowed Mr Mohiuddin Shah from entering Gurdwara Singh Sabha Samandri Hall in the village. The minister was escorted out of the outer yard of the gurdwara and left the spot immediately. The youths blamed the Farooq Abdullah government for the massacres, which is the first of its kind involving the community in the decade-long militancy in the state. The security guards of the minister fired in air to disperse the protesters. The minister’s car was damaged in the stone pelting by the youths. A number of window panes of other security and press vehicles were damaged in the incident. The agitated crowd also blamed the Central Government for the massacre as it could not provide “proper security” to the people belonging to different communities in the trouble-torn valley.

Till this afternoon, the cremation of those killed could not be undertaken as tension gripped the villagers with hundreds of persons from distant areas of the valley converging on the spot. The bodies were kept in the gurdwara. According to Giani Rajinder Singh, chief granthi of the village, the last rites of those killed would not be performed unless any representative from the Central Government came with an assurance of full security to the community in the valley.

He told the visiting Minister of State for Home Mr Mushtaq Ahmed Lone, that cremation would not taken place till full protection was promised to the Sikh community thinly spread in six districts of the valley. Being the largest village of the Sikhs in south Kashmir, Chati-Singhpora has over 2000 residents consisting 350 families, while there are also over a dozen Muslim families living in the village.

In Srinagar, hundreds of Sikh youths under the banner of All-India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) took out a procession against the massacre of 35 members of their community. The procession was led by its president, who later led a convoy of vehicles carrying hundreds of the members of the community to the village. They raised anti-government slogans and vowed to maintain communal harmony of the valley. Shops and business establishments in the central Lal Chowk area were closed as a mark of respect to the departed souls.

A team of the APHC with a message from its acting chairman, Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, visited the central gurdwara at Lal Chowk here where a large number of Sikhs had gathered to mourn the killings. Several other militant organisations, including Al-Badr and Hizbul Mujahideen, in separate statements condemned the killings and described them as a “plot to malign the militants”.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Passenger Transporters Welfare Association (KPTWA) has called for a two-day strike by operators all types of the vehicles in the valley in protest against the killings, from tomorrow. While expressing sympathies with the community, a spokesman traffic in the valley as well as on the 300-km-long Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Wednesday and Thursday. The association had earlier also called for a strike in the valley in protest against the killing of five truck drivers from a single community near Qazigund early this month.

The massacre sparked off violence in Jammu, warranting curfew restrictions, and a strike in several towns of the state.

The police and eyewitnesses said that the militants directed Sikh males to come out and of join in their Holi celebrations. “We will show you how Holi is really celebrated”, said one of the militants.

The males were segregated from the womenfolk. The militants were carrying bottles of liquor to convince the Sikhs that they had come to indulge in Holi revelry.

However, another version given by a group of villagers was that the gunmen in Army uniform, speaking Urdu, informed the villagers that they had come to search for militants. Eyewitnesses said that the identification parade was a ruse to make people believe that the subsequent massacre was carried out by the troops.

Some Sikh leaders and their followers left Jammu this morning to visit Chiti-Singhpora, but were stopped from proceeding beyond Nagrota by the police.

However, an Akali Dal delegation led by the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, reached Srinagar today to study the situation. The delegation met several leaders of the Hurriyat Conference and senior Sikh leaders of Kashmir. The Hurriyat Conference later gave a call for a Kashmir bandh on March 23 despite the day being celebrated as ‘Yaumi Pakistan’. The call has been supported by the Kashmir Bar Association and Kashmir Private Transporters Association.

Within less than six hours, this village suddenly turned into a fortress with the security forces and the police, cordoning off the area and launching a massive manhunt for the killers. The village had never been visited by VIPs during the past several years. But today the situation was different. Right from the Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, senior Akali leaders from Punjab, down to senior functionaries of the police and the civil administration visited this village today.

The state has earlier witnessed massacres in different places, including Wandhama, Sangrampore, Chapnari, Prankot and Dhakikot. However, the killing of 35 Sikhs in one incident is the highest toll in any militancy-related incident in the state.

Those killed have been identified as Rajinder Singh, Karnail Singh, Rajen Singh, Naranjan Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Ajeet Pal Singh, Joginder Singh, Gurbux Singh, Uttam Singh, Surjit Singh, Inderjit Singh, Devinder Singh, Rajinder Singh, Rashpal Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Sucha Singh, Ravi Singh, Joginder Singh, Rajdeep Singh, Nathu Singh, Kulbeer Singh, Darbari Singh, Deedar Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Ujal Singh, Charan Singh, Rajnath Singh, Faqir Singh, Karnail Singh, Sheetal Singh, Ravinder Singh, Jagmohan Singh, Ajit Singh and Sartaj Singh. The youngest victim was 18 years old and the eldest 66 years.

The school building caught fire as a result of heavy firing by the militants.

Later, Sikh and Muslim youths held demonstrations and stoned passing vehicles between Awantipora and Anantnag, demanding the arrest of the culprits.

Annan outraged over massacre

UNITED NATIONS, March 21 (Reuters) — Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced outrage today at reports of the massacre of more than 35 Sikh villagers in Kashmir and said this latest “terrorist incident” showed the need for a political solution.

LONDON (PTI): Britain today condemned the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir saying it was appalled to hear of the “brutal terrorist” act.

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook in a statement said “I was appalled to hear of the brutal terrorist attack in the village of Chatti-Singhpura in Kashmir.

Curfew imposed in Jammu
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, March 21 — Indefinite curfew restrictions were imposed in parts of Jammu city today.

Tension gripped the city and its adjoining areas when reports regarding the killing of 35 Sikhs reached here. People of various communities and political parties took out a procession in protest against the carnage. Transport services on the inter-district and inter-state routes were suspended.

The protesters, most of them carrying kirpans and lathis, blocked the Tawi bridge for several hours. At several places trucks were used for blocking the road traffic.

A group of protesters marched towards two Muslim-majority localities. The police attempt to stop the demonstrators led to stoning by the latter and lathi-charge by the former. Five policemen were injured. As the tension mounted the authorities imposed curfew restrictions.

Policemen on vans fitted with loudspeakers directed people to stay indoors. The Army was called out to enforce curfew restrictions. The police and para-military forces were deployed in strength in sensitive areas.

Majority of shopkeepers in the town put up the shutters in protest against the killing.

Hartal was also observed in Anantnag town, Srinagar city and parts of Handwara area of west Kashmir.

Several hundred Sikhs boarded trucks in the Baramula area and marched to Srinagar, shouting anti-government, anti-Pakistan and anti-militant slogans.

Akali leaders from Punjab who reached Srinagar had a long session with leaders of Hurriyat Conference. The Hurriyat leaders too condemned the massacre.

In Jammu besides state Akali Dal leaders belonging the Congress, the BJP, the Janata Dal, the BSP and Panun Kashmir have also condemned the carnage. The state Akali Dal President, Mr Jagdev Singh, described the Singhpora carnage as the most barbaric. He demanded foolproof security cover to the Sikhs living in the Kashmir valley.

Senior Congress leader, Mr Raman Bhalla said that the gruesome killings carried out by the militants was most inhuman and should open the eyes of the American President, Bill Clinton. He demanded that the American President should declare Pakistan a terrorist state and impose sanctions failing which more innocent people would be killed.

Panun Kashmir leaders, including Dr Ajay Chrungoo and Dr Agnishekhar, expressed deep grief over the carnage and said that it was part of the overall plan of pan-Islamic elements to carry out total ethnic cleansing in Kashmir. They said the pro-Pak elements had already cleaned the Kashmir valley of its original residents by throwing out over 3.50 lakh Kashmiri Pandits and now it was the turn of the Sikhs to follow the suit. They wanted the Government to take strict measures to check such massacres.

The state Governor, Mr G.C. Saxena, Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and other members of the state cabinet have condemned the killing of innocent people. The Governor and the Chief Minister described Singhpora tragedy another act of cowardice on the part of militants. Dr Abdullah said the gruesome murder of 35 innocent people was totally un-Islamic.

Meanwhile, senior Government functionaries, including the Governor, Chief Minister, Director General Police, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, flew to Srinagar. They met cross section of people. The Director General Police ordered that security pickets be set up immediately to provide security to members of the minority community.

The BJP has given a call for Jammu Bandh tomorrow in protest against the killing of innocent people in Kashmir. The state BJP president, Mr D.K. Kotwal, while issuing the call for tomorrow’s bandh condemned the killing of 35 people for being nationalists.

Lashkar, Hizbul ‘behind’ killings
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, March 21 — The National Security Advisor, Mr Brajesh Mishra, today said that a combined group of mercenary outfits, Laskhar-e-Toiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were behind the massacre at Chatti Singhpura village in Anantnag district last night.

Mr Mishra told correspondents that the government had evidence that the militant groups were led by Lashkar commander Abu Mahas while the Hizbul militants involved in the incident were from the Maulvi faction.

Mr Mishra said both these groups were pro-Pakistan terrorist groups.

Shelling on Indian positions

SRINAGAR, March 21 (PTI) — Pakistani troops fired on Indian installations and civilian targets for the fifth consecutive day today along the Line of Control and international border in Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said here.

Civilian areas at karnah in the frontier district of Kupwara were the worst-hit by the indiscriminate firing from across the border last night, they said.

However, there were no casualties, the sources said. The shelling and firing continued till this morning, they said.