Muslims, Pandits pay tribute to Wandhama massacre victims

M Aamir Khan

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar, January 25

Under a sacred chinar tree amid falling snow at Shadipora in Ganderbal district, a group of Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims struggled to keep the candles burning this morning. They had gathered to pay homage to the victims of the 1998 Wandhama massacre on its 19th anniversary.

Shadipora, located at the confluence of the Jhelum and Sindh, is considered sacred by the Kashmiri Pandits. Here they immerse the ashes of the dead and pray for them.

“This chinar is sacred for us and this is the spot where we pray for our dead. Today, we have gathered here to pay homage to the Wandhama martyrs. Justice still eludes the 23 Pandits who were killed mercilessly during the intervening night of January 25 and 26 in 1998,” said Bharat Raina, chairman of the United Kashmiriyat Forum — which organised the function.

Raina said a good number of Pandits were supposed to visit Shadipora today from outside the Valley but could not as flights got cancelled due to snowfall. However, a group of Muslims joined them to pay homage to the massacre victims at Shadipora, around 20 km from here.

“As flights could not operate, Kashmiri Pandits from outside could not come. And, due to bad weather and heavy snow, only seven Pandits were able to make it to Shadipora. However, I am glad that 20-25 local Muslims then joined us to pay tributes,” Raina said.

Ejaz Ahmad, a local, said he along with other Muslims joined the function to keep the traditional bonds alive. “We are here to give a message that we want to keep the Muslim-Pandit ‘baradari’ (brotherhood) alive. Kashmir is incomplete without Pandits and we want them to return home,” he said.

Raina regretted that even after 19 years of the Wandhama massacre, the killers had not been identified.

“Over the years, the people at the helm have been saying that the Wandhama massacre was carried out by militants. But the identity of these militants has not been established so far. Once a full-fledged probe is carried out, it will clear up the confusion,” he added.

Flaying the state government for claiming that the situation was conducive for the return of Kashmiri Pandits, Raina said: “On the ground, the picture is entirely different. There is a disconnect between Kashmiri Pandits and the state administration. Such mistrust can be set right if things are taken up in a serious manner. A full-fledged probe in the Wandhama massacre is the need of the hour,” he said.

He said a ‘maha sharaad’ was also organised for the Kashmiri Pandits killed after the eruption of militancy in the Valley more than 27 years ago.