Sikhs seek fresh probe into Chattisinghpora massacre

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 20

The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) today urged the Centre and the state government to initiate a fresh probe into the Chattisinghpora massacre.

In a statement, APSCC chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina urged the government to go in for a fresh probe into the incident. He regretted that even after 17 years, the people, especially the Sikh community of the Valley, were still waiting for the justice to 35 Sikhs who were massacred on this day in 2000 at Chattisinghpora in south Kashmir.

“It is unfortunate that the government is maintaining silence on the issue which was highlighted throughout the world. We shall not rest till the real culprits of the massacre are brought to justice…the government should allow the Justice Pandan Commission to conduct further investigation in the incident as the Brackpura and Chattisinghpora cases are interlinked,” he added.

Pointing out that the Central Government had blamed separatist militants for the massacre, Raina said: “But the questions still remain unanswered. According to the police, nearly 20 unidentified gunmen carried out the massacre at Chattisinghpora and so far only five have been caught and killed, which was later proved wrong. The persons massacred which the police claimed to be ‘militants’ were actually innocent residents of Brackpura, proved by the judicial inquiry of the Justice Pandan Commission.”

He added that the people in Kashmir were questioning whether the men killed on that day were ‘actually involved in the Chattisinghpora killings or not’ as the police have ‘failed to produce any hard evidence regarding their involvement’.

Raina also regretted that promises made by politicians in the past had not been fulfilled. “After the killing of innocent Sikhs, the then Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah publicly assured that the culprits will be arrested soon as they were having some clue and assured of all the assistance needed by the Sikhs of Kashmir. But to date, the promise has proven to be a hoax,” he said.