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Killing of Kashmiri Pandits
Name: Tej Krishen Razdan (Age: 30s)
Resident of: Yachgam (District Budgam)
Profession: Central Govt. Service
Date of Killing: 12.2.1990
Razdan was posted somewhere in Punjab. He
had come to Srinagar on leave to see his family. An old colleague of his
- a Muslim - who had been working with him while he was in Kashmir - came
to pay a visit on the fateful day. Both of them boarded a mini-bus bound
for Lal Chowk. When the matador (mini van) halted at Gao Kadal, Razdan's
companion suddenly took out a pistol and shot him in the chest. Not content,
he dragged the still breathing Razdan out of the vehicle and ordered other
passengers to kick the dying man repeatedly. His body was then dragged
through the street like sweepers drag a dead dog. Taken to the nearest
mosque, the dead body was put on display for hours before the police came
to take control of the body. |
Name: Ashok Kumar Qazi (Age: 30s)
Resident of: Shashyar, Srinagar
Profession: Worked in the Handicrafts
Deptt
Date of Killing: 24.2.1990
A group of three terrorists accosted him
on the fateful day in Zaindar Mohalla locality while he was going for shopping.
They shot him on the knuckles. He fell down and cried in agony for help.
None among the passers by or the shopkeepers responded. They just looked
the other way despite the fact that they knew the man as he belonged to
their locality and was an energetic social worker. In their sadistic frenzy,
the three murderes tarted a death dance around the helpless Qazi. Theyy
pulled his hair out. They slapped him continuously and they spat on his
face. One of them even unfastened his trousers and urinated on him. Dying
and profusely bleeding, the militants did not kill him immediately but
enjoyed the writhing and twitching of his body. They wanted him to die
by inches. The siren of a distant police van, however, mercifully ended
his agony as, in panic, the terrorists pumped bullets into his stomach
and chest leaving his dead body on the frozen road. |
Name: Navin Saproo (Age:30s)
Resident of: Habba Kadal, Srinagar
Profession:Central Govt. Service
Date of Killing: 27.2.1990
He was returning from his office when, near
Kanya Kadal, terrorists sprayed him with bullets in broad day-light and
in full view of the passersby; he fell down but was still breathing. A
Hindu woman, who happened to be there, frantically pleaded with the terrorists
to spare the young man's life. She was pushed back. Dancing around him
in glee, they shot at him over and over again avoiding any vital organ
just to prolong his agony bleeding profusely. For the terrorists, the sadism
was yet to come. As the wailing relatives of the young man took away his
body in a police van - yes in a police van - the terrorists followed in
a truck right up to the cremation ground, dancing and singing all the way.
The singing and dancing continued till his body was reduced to ashes. |
Bansi Lal Saproo R/O: Gulab Bagh
Killed on 24.4.1990
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Choni Lal Koul R/O: Churath, Kulgam
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Name: P. N. Kaul
Resident of: Bijbihara, District Anantnag
Profession: Shopkeeper
Date of Killing: 22.3.1990
He was skinned off alive and left to die.
His putrified body was discovered three days later. |
Name: B. K. Ganjoo (Age:30s)
Resident of: Chota Bazar, Srinagar
Profession: Central Govt. Service
Date of Killing: 22.3.1990
Ganjoo, a telecom engineer, was coming home
during the curfew relaxation period. He never suspected that he was being
followed by the terrorists as he had no reason to be a suspect. When he
reached the vicinity of his house, his wife, however, observed that he
was being pursued. As Ganjoo entered his house, she quickly bolted and
locked the door. But the terrorists were undeterred and crashed through.
The pursued man ran up to the third floor of his house and hid himself
in a rice bin. The terrorists ransacked the entire house and were ready
to leave as they could not locate their victim. But the fate willed otherwise.
Ganjoo's muslim neighbors, who had seen Ganjoo hide himself in the bin,
called the militants back and pointed towards the container. Out they pulled
him, pumped him with bullets and left him bleeding on the rice. While leaving,
they shouted, "Let your blood be soaked in the rice and let your children
eat it. Ah, what a tasty meal it would be". |
Name: Bhushan Lal Raina (Age: 29 years)
Resident of: Ompora, District Budgam
Profession: Worked in Sher-i-Kashmir Medical
Institute, Soura
Date of Killing: 28.4.1990
Scared by the terrorists' violence in the
valley, Raina had finally decided to leave Kashmir along with his mother.
He wanted to leave on April 29 and started packing his belongings a day
earlier. While he was busy, a group of terrorists gate-crashed into his
house. Seeing them, the aged mother of Raina implored them to spare the
life of his son as he was about to be married. "They could kill her instead
if kill they must", she pleaded. But they would not listen to her. With
a sharp pointed iron rod, they pierced his skull. They dragged him out
and nailed him to a tree after stripping off his clothes. They killed him
by inches while he begged to be shot. |
Ramesh Kumar Raina
Killed on 28.5.1990
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Raju Sharma
Killed on 8.6.1990
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Name: Ramesh Kumar Raina
Resident of: Rainawari, Srinagar
Date of Killing: 31.6.1990
Ramesh Kumar Raina, 27, martyred in
Rainawari,
has left behind two children, two young sisters and aged parents. He ran
a small shop repairing stoves. Raina was kidnapped on May28, 1990. On June
1, his body was fished out from river Jehlum. His family came to know through
the newspapers. Before dumping his body into the river, he had been strangulated. |
Name: Sarwanand Kaul Premi (Age: 64 years),
Virender Kaul (Age: 27 years) - Son
Resident of: Soaf Shali, District Anantnag
Profession: Retired Teacher, Central Govt.
Service respectively
Date of Killing: 30.4.1990
Sarwanand Kaul Premi
Premi was a well-known Kashmiri poet
and a scholar. Even though his family requested him to leave the village
in view of the mounting terrorist activities and unabated killings of his
community members, he refused, believing in the "secular traditions" of
his beloved Kashmiri. He was deeply religious and also deeply liberal.
He thought he was respected widely in the area predominated by the Muslims.
And this faith was ultimately shattered when in the evening of 29th April,
three terrorists entered his house and ordered the entire family to collect
in one room. The terrorists ordered that they should collect all their
valuable - gold, jewelery, cash, pashmina garments, saris, shawls etc.
- in the room. The other gold women and the men were wearing was torn off
their bodies. Packing all these in an emptied suitcase, they asked the
frail and soft-spoken Premi to carry the suitcase and follow them. "We
mean no harm to him and he will return", the terrorists told the wailing
and weeping family members. Then fate intervened and Virender Kaul, his
son, volunteered to accompany his father so that he could lead the old
man back in the dark night. "Come on you too, if you so desire", they told
Virender. Both, the father and the son, were herded out of the house.
What followed would put to shame even Hitler's
secret agents. When the dead bodies were found after two days, the scene
was apalling and nauseating. The place in between the eyebrows, where Premi
used to apply the sandal wood mark commonly known as "Tilak" was found
pierced by an iron and skin peeled off. The entire body bore the marks
of cigarette burns. The limbs were found broken and eyes of both father
and the son gouged out. They were later hanged and to be doubly sure shot
too.
This, to a man, in whose house a rare manuscript
of the holy Quran was found placed with reverence in his prayer room.
Read Koshur Samachar
article: Amar Shaheed Sarwanand
Kaul Premi - A Profile
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Name: Dina Nath Mujoo (Age: 75 years)
Resident of: Rawalpora, Srinagar
Profession : Retired Govt employee
Date of Killing: 7.7.1990
Pandit Dina Nath Muju, (78) a saintly scholar,
was brutally murdered by some unknown assailants at his residence at '71,
Rawalpora Housing Colony, Srinagar, Kashmir during the night of 6/7 July,
1990 when he and his wife were alone over there, after having vehementally
pursuaded their children to leave Srinagar on account of threats from the
militants. Though some arrests were reportedly made in connection with
the murder of Pandit D.N. Muju, no progress has been reported so far. His
well wishers are demanding that the case be handed over to C.B.I.
Pandit Dina Nath Muju was not only an efficient
teacher dedicated to his profession, but was also a guide and friend to
one and all who came in contact with him. He was a retired Headmaster of
the Teacher's Training School, Srinagar. A follower of the principles of
Universal Brotherhood as enshrined in the basic principles of the theosophical
thought, and very considerate lo all living beings, should not have met
such a tragic end as Pandit Dina Nath Muju met at the hands of these barbarians.
Pandit Dina Nath Muju was greatly interested in
education, religious studies, philosophy, especially theosophy, Kashmir
Shaivism and teachings of Shri J. Krishnamurti. A sympathiser of the poor
and downtrodden and greatly interested in the emancipation of women in
general and their education in particular, Pandit Dina Nath Muju was also
a life-long member of the Women's Welfare Trust, Kashmir, the first institution
to set up educational institutions for women in Kashmir under the aegies
of the Theosophical Society. |
Name: Girija Tickoo (Age: Late 20s)
Profession: Teacher
Date Or Killing: 25.6.1990
Girija had left the Valley in the wake of
mounting terrorism and spate of killings of minority community there. She
was in Jammu when someone told her that she can collect her pay at Bandipora
where she was working in school before fleeing the valley. Shs was assured
that she will come to no harm as the conditions had started returning to
normal. She left for Srinagar snd then for Bandipora in north Kashmir from
there. She never returned. Her body sawn into two, was found on the road-side
on 25th June, 1990. From examination of the body, it was found that she
was first-raped and then cut into two pieres not by a mechanical saw, but
by a carpenter's saw - yes by a carpenter saw. The agony is hard to imagine.
A living human being sawn by a carpenter's saw by barbarians claiming to
be the fighters for freedom. |
Chota Lal Maisuma
Killed on 7.6.1990
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Avtar Krishan
Killed on 14.6.1990
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Name: i/ Prof K. L. Ganjoo, ii/ Mrs K.
L. Ganjoo
Age: i/ Late 40s, ii/ -do-
Resident of: Sopore
Profession: i/ Lecturer, ii/ Teacher
Date of Killing: 7.5.1990
Ganjoo, a lecturer at the Agricultural College
at Wadors near Sopore, had returned from Nepal after attending a conference
along with his wife. Two officials of the college were sent with a jeep
to receive him. And receive they did. Dragging him and his wife out of
the vehicle, right in the middle of the bridge at Sopore, they shot at
him. They threw the wounded man into the river Jhelum to die. A young nephew
of the couple, who was also with them, was given a choice-either to jump
into the river to which his uncle had been consigned or watch what they
were going to do with his aunt. They counted "3" and the boy jumped into
the river. The bullet riddled body of Prof Ganjoo was found some days later
on the banks of river Jhleum. His nephew, a non-swimmer, somehow survived
and managed to escape. What happened to Prof Ganjoo's wife is not exactly
known, there being conflicting reports about her. According to official
reports, police has not been able to trace her out so far. But some newspaper
reports say that she was gang raped by the terrorists and then killed in
a gruesome manner. |
Name: Shri Ashok Kumar
Age: 30s
Resident of: Pulwama
Profession: Not known
Date of Killing: Not available
Ashok Kumar was kidnapped by Jamat-i-Islami militants.
The kidnappers broke his limbs and then brought him to the main square
of the town. There, he was forced to confess/being a member of the CPI(M).
He was then asked to beg for mercy which he did. Even then the militants
did not let him off. They gouged out his eyes and shot him dead. |
Name: Ashok Suri
Resident of: Kralpora
Profession: Driver
Suri, who was a driver, used to carry newspapers
to the western news stand in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. On the fateful day, he
was kidnapped by the militants on his way to Srinagar. They very sevely
tortured him and his body bore the marks of cigarette burns which bears
the testimony of the extent to which he was subjected to. When he was almost
half dead they told him that they actually wanted to kill his brother and
had caught hold of him by mistake. At this stage, the militants let him
off. On reaching home somehow, Suri narrated the incident to his brother,
an employee of SBI, Srinagar. He beggcd of him to flee as his life was
in danger. But the latter did not agree. At about midnight, the militants
came again and gate crashed in his house. They attacked Ashok Suri with
a sharp edged weapon cutting his neck and left him to die. |
Janki Nath
Killed on 26.7.1990
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Rattan Lal Raina
Killed on 18.8.1990
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Name: Chuni Lal Shalla
Resident of: Sopore
Profession: Inspector of Police, J&K
Govt.
Shalla was posted at Langate near
Kupwars.
He wanted to visit his family at Sopore after about six months. To avoid
being identified by the Jamat-i-Islami mililants, Shalla had grown beard.
A Muslim constable working under him at Langate, also accompanied him in
the same bus to Sopore. On reaching Sopore, two militants came searching
for him but could not recognise him. They had hardly left when the Muslim
Constable called them back and divalged the identity of Shalla to them.
Without waiting for him, the Constable himself took out a dagger and slashed
off his entire right cheek along with the beard. Blood queshed out and
the poor Shalla was in a state of shock. The cruel Constable jolted him
saying "You suar (pig). I will not allow you to have Jamat-i-Islami type
beard on your other cheek also. He slashed off his left cheek too. The
two militants and the Muslim Constable then battered his face with hockey
sticks shouting "Bastard, we won't waste a bullet on you". They fled the
scene and left Shall bleeding to die. |
Name: Damodar Saroop Raina (Age: 65 years)
Resident of: Dambeloo (Anantnag)
Profession: Retired Govt. employee
The terrorists came to his house at dead
of night. He tried to avoid to meet them. His wife pleaded with them that
he was not in the house. But they gate crashed and searched the entire
house. Finding the old man hiding in a corner in the top floor room, they
dragged him out, ignoring the heart rending pleas of his wife. They took
no heed of her wailing. She cried for help from the neighbours but except
staring stone faced from their houses, they refused to come to her aid.
The old man continues to be untraced so far. |
Omkar Nath Kak; R/O: Tarhaman
Killed on 29.8.1990
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Bansi Lal
Killed on 30.8.1990
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Name: B. L. Raina (Age: 35 years)
Resident of: Dambeloo (Anantnag)
Profession: Govt. employee
Date of Killing: 26.6.1990
Raina was out of the valley but went back
on hearing the news of the kidnapping of his father. For 25 days, they
waited with the security forces guarding him, his family and other relatives
who had come from Jammu after hearing the news of kidnapping of Mr. Saroop.
On 26th June, police told them that it was futile to wait as there was
no chance of his recovery dead or alive. Accompanied by a posse of security
men, the family was despatched in a vehicle to Jammu. Raina accompanied
them up to Qazigund leaving behind his wife and two children in his native
village. After the other members of the family were safely despatched,
he returned to Anantnag and then to his village in spite of the warning
of the police that there was danger and he also should move to Jammu. But
he could not do so, for he had left his family at Dambeloo. Just a kilometer
from his home, the vehicle was ambushed by terrorists and Raina was one
of the three victims. So within a span of 23 days, two members of the family
- father and son - fell victims to the terrorists. The father had already
lost another son two years ago. |
Dwarika Nath
Killed on 13.9.1990
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Rajinder Prasad
Killed on 15.12.1990
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Name: Hridaya Nath and Radha Krishen
Resident of: Habba Kadal, Srinagar
Date of Killing: 9.7.1990
Their bodies were found with chopped heads. |
Name: Mujoo and two unknown
Date of Killing: First week of July 1990
All three were kidnapped and told to donate
blood for the wounded terrorists. They agreed for fear of their lives not
knowing that they were going to a sudden death. The barbarians drained
the entire blood from their bodies till they were dead. |
Omkar Nath Raina
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Shuban Lal Kullan
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Name: M.L. Bhan
Resident of: Ompura, Badgam
Date of Killing: January1990
Pandit Bhan boarded the bus for
Srinagar.
He was accompanied by his 12 year old son. As the bus was moving two youngman
who bad probably already boarded the bus came near Pandit Bhan and placed
themselves closer to him. All of a sudden one ot the youths fired two shots
at Pandit Bhan. He was shot at his temples. He died instantly. His son
was shocked. He wailed and cried for help. But none of the passengers cared
to listen to him. Nor did they try to console the little child. They seemed
to jeer at the boy. The terrorists asked the driver to stop the bus. As
the vehicle stopped, they threw away tbe body and pushed his son out of
the bus. He was screaming for help. At last some security forces vehicle
happened to pass that way and they lifted the body. |
Name: Ashwani Kumar Garyali
Resident of: Chattabal, Srinagar
Date of Killing: 24.6.90
On the fateful day of 24.6.90, Ashwani Kumar
was sitting at his home with his friend Ashok Kumar Kotha. In the meantime
five gun wielders thronged into his house and pumped five bullets into
his chest. After this they shot at his friend Ashok Kumar who died on spot.
The martyr Ashwani was then dragged upto the outer gate of the house and
his knees were broken. Father of the deceased went to Police Station for
getting a vehicle for taking Ashwani to hospital. The SHO at the station
taunted the deceased's father by saying, "Should we have got a helicopter
for your son? Let him die, I can do nothing." After his return from the
Police Station, he found his son lying in a pool of blood with his face
deshaped and all the joints of his body broken. |
Name: C.L. Pandita
Resident of: Kawoosa Khalisa (District Bodgam)
Date of Killing: 20.5.1990
Chaman Lal Pandita, a teacher was kidnapped
on Sunday, May 20, 1990 at 9:15 am. On Monday, he was found dead. Pandita
had been hanged to death. But before that he was beaten. His body bore
the marks. There was dust even in his nails indicating that he must have
struggled. Proviously, Pandita's neighbours had discouraged him from leaving
the village. They had promised protection. Some had even gone to the extent
to say that they would sacrifice their children to protect the family.
But at the time of the need, nobody came forward. |
Dina Nath
Killed on 13.4.1990
Another victim of fundamentalist
brutalities, Shri Tapoo,
who was burnt alive in a house
after being abducted.
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