Srinagar:All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) on Monday expressed dismay over the delay in justice to the families of 35 Sikh families who were killed at Chattisinghpora in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district on March 20, 2000.
The APSCC demanded a fresh probe into the killings of Sikhs.
On the eve of former US president Bill Clinton’s visit to India in 2000, unknown gunmen massacred 35 Sikhs at Chattisinghpora village. Just five days after the massacre, the army claimed to have killed five Lashkar-e-Taiba militants at Pathribal involved in the incident. It later turned out the killed men were civilians from nearby villages. On April 3, 2000 seven protesters were killed at Brakpora in firing by forces while they were marching towards Anantnag.
On the anniversary of Chattisinghpora massacre, APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said that although 23 years have passed no headway whatsoever has been made in the case.
He said the delay in justice has led to disillusionment among the members of Sikh community.
“It is important that justice is delivered to the victim families. At the same time investigations need to be carried out in the sequence of events that unfolded later on as 15 more persons belonging to majority community were also killed in the aftermath of the Chattisinghpora massacre,” APSCC Chairman Raina said. “Since the locals countered the claims of government that it has killed five militants involved in the killing of 35 Sikhs it is imperative that the whole incident is probed in a professional manner so that culprits are brought to book and justice is delivered to the affected families.”
Raina also expressed his sympathies to the families of persons who were killed in firing at Brakpora who were protesting against the “fake encounter”. He said that the government should take up the probe in a forceful manner so that the real picture comes to the fore and people heave a sigh of relief.
Raina alleged the police have so far failed to produce any hard evidence that the persons killed in the “fake” encounter were involved in the killing of Sikhs at Chattisinghpora.
“The committee formed by the government to find out the culprits, has failed to solve the mystery. We urge both the state and central government to go for fresh probe in the killings of Sikhs and make the things clear. Pandian Commission should be allowed to further investigate the incident as Brakpora and Chattisinghpora cases are interlinked,” said Raina.
