Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gargaj seeks justice for families of 35 Sikhs killed in Chittisinghpura massacre

Justice continues to elude the families of the 35 Sikhs killed in Chittisinghpura, a village in Kashmir’s Anantnag district, even after the passage of 25 years, said Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, who last night returned after attending religious programmes in the valley.

He sought justice for the families during his visit to Chittisinghpura village where he participated in a Gurmat Samagam (religious congregation) organised by the local Sikh community.

On this occasion, he visited the memorial and saw photographs installed in memory of the 35 unarmed Sikhs who were brutally killed on March 20, 2000. He also saw the wall which still bears the bullet marks of that massacre.

He said the tragic incident had not only shaken the Sikhs of Kashmir but across the world. He noted that the families of the victims were still waiting for justice, as the truth behind this massacre had not been brought to light even today. He stressed that it was the responsibility of the government to reveal the facts.

Highlighting the resilience of the Kashmiri Sikhs, he said despite enduring immense atrocities, they did not abandon their homeland. He accused the successive governments of suppressing the rights of the Sikh community.

Jathedar Gargajj stressed that the Chittisinghpura massacre taught the Sikh community that if it stood united, no challenge was insurmountable.

He also praised the efforts of village resident and government teacher Giani Rajinder Singh, along with the local Naujawan Sabha, for their contribution in preserving the memory of the Sikhs who were killed in the massacre.