Pranjal mishra at 14:06, 23 April 2026

2026-04-23T14:06:00Z

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{{Short description|1990 mass killing of Kashmiri protesters}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Gawkadal massacre
| location = Gawkadal, [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India
| coordinates = {{coord|34.0748|74.8092|type:event_region:IN|display=inline,title}}
| date = {{start date and age|df=yes|1990|1|21}}
| partof = [[Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir]]
| target = Civilians
| type = [[Massacre]], [[Mass shooting]]
| fatalities = 50+<ref name="IE"/><ref name="KL"/>
| perpetrator = {{flagdeco|India}} [[Central Reserve Police Force]]
}}

{{Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir}}

The '''Gawkadal massacre''' was named after the Gawkadal bridge in [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India, where, on 21 January 1990, the [[India]]n paramilitary troops of the [[Central Reserve Police Force]] opened fire on a group of Kashmiri protesters in what some have called "the worst massacre in Kashmiri history".{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=148}} At least 50 people were killed.<ref name=pakistannews>[https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/271573-kashmiris-observe-28th-anniversary-of-gawkadal-massacre ""Kashmiris observe 28th anniversary of Gawkadal massacre""], thenews.com.pk. January 22, 2018. Accessed March 31, 2025.</ref><ref name="IE">Mir Ehsan, [https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/kashmirs-first-blood/ Kashmir's first blood], The Indian Express, 1 May 2005.</ref>{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=148}} The incident occurred two days after the state went under [[Governor's Rule]], with [[Jagmohan]] appointed as the Governor for a second time in the Union government's bid to control mass protests by Kashmiris.<ref name="IE"/>

==Background==
January 1990 was a major turning point for the one-and-a-half year old [[Kashmir insurgency]], having been launched by the Pakistan-based [[Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front]] (JKLF) in July 1988 under Pakistani sponsorship.{{sfn|Jamal|2009|loc=pp. 129, 137: "By Spring 1988, Zia regime also started pressing JKLF to begin the armed campaign. JKLF didn't yet think the timing was right. But reluctantly agreed to set the Martyrs' Day, 13 July, as the formal start of the campaign. At this stage, there were 10,000 trained militants, working in some fifty units."}} However, the pro-Independence JKLF was not in Pakistan's interest.{{sfn|Jamal|2009|loc=p. 137: "The ISI initially backed the JKLF only as a way to push its client, the Jamat-i-Islami, into militancy. Moreover, it had planned to replace the JKLF once Jamat-i-Islami could be pushed into the conflict."}} By October 1989, its secret service [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]], working with the [[Jamaat-e-Islami Azad Kashmir]], brought together some of the key Islamist insurgent groups working in Kashmir under the banner of [[Hizbul Mujahideen]]. In a key meeting in [[Kathmandu]] on 14 January 1990, [[Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir]] was persuaded to take control of Hizbul Mujahideen.{{sfn|Jamal|2009|loc=pp. 140–143}}{{sfn|Riedel|2012|loc=pp. 39–40: "By setting up an umbrella group, Hizbul Mujahedeen, to unite the pro-Pakistan elements, the ISI gradually isolated the JKLF, cut off its aid, and took control."}} Henceforth, the Kashmir insurgency was to run along an [[Islamist]] paradigm.{{sfn|Sirrs|2016|loc=pp. 159–160: "Like the JKLF, [Hizbul Mujahideen] was "overwhelmingly Kashmiri" as far as its cadre went, but it rejected the JKLF's nationalist agenda in favor of an Islamist one. What this meant in theory was that the party saw nothing that was doctrinally incorrect in joining and thereby strengthening Pakistan."}} An often-heard slogan was "''Azadi ka matlab kya, La Ilahi lilillah [illallah]''" ("What is the meaning of freedom? It is Islamic State").<ref name="IT">
Shekhar Gupta, [https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/19900131-militant-movement-holds-kashmir-in-a-state-of-violent-siege-separatism-gets-new-legitimacy-812287-1990-01-31 Militant movement holds Kashmir in a state of violent siege, separatism gets new legitimacy], India Today, 31 Jan 1990.
</ref>{{efn|The slogan itself was an adaptation of that of the [[Pakistan movement]] from the 1940s: ''Pakistan ka matlab kya, La Ilahi illallah''.}}

Concurrent to these developments, the Indian central government was going through a crisis. [[Rajiv Gandhi]] lost the general election held in 1989, and a minority government led by opposition [[Janata Dal]] under [[V. P. Singh]] took power, with external support from the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP). Singh appointed a Kashmiri politician [[Mufti Muhammad Sayeed]] as the Union home minister. A week later, on 8 December 1989, the JKLF [[Kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed|kidnapped his daughter, Rubaiya Sayeed]], demanding the release of jailed JKLF militants in return for her release. The government's capitulation to this demand strengthened JKLF and its ''"azadi"'' ("freedom") movement, while at the same time undercutting the authority of the state government led by [[Farooq Abdullah]].{{sfn|Joshi|1999|loc=pp. 34–35: "Processions and protests gained even greater popular support, till it now seemed that the whole valley was for azadi or independence."}}

Following these events, the Indian government decided to replace Governor [[K. V. Krishna Rao]].{{sfn|Joshi|1999|p=38}} Under the pressure of BJP, the V. P. Singh government chose [[Jagmohan]] to succeed him. Jagmohan had served a previous term as the Governor in the State, during which the chief minister [[Farooq Abdullah]] was dismissed. Abdullah had held it against Jagmohan, and resigned from chief ministership ahead of the appointment.{{sfn|Joshi|1999|pp=38–39}} The state went under [[Governor's rule]] (the imposition of direct Union government rule).<ref name="express_shift">
[https://archive.today/20130122164107/http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Focus-shifts-to-Raj-Bhawan-JK-heads-for-Governors-rule/332899/ Focus shifts to Raj Bhawan, J-K heads for Governor's rule], ''[[Express India]]'', 8 July 2008.</ref>{{efn|Farooq Abdullah is said to have resigned on "the midnight of the 18th" {{harv|Joshi|1999|p=39}}. Jagmohan was sworn in as the Governor on the evening of the 19th {{harv|Joshi|1999|p=39}}, which left almost an entire day when the state was run by only officials. Due to weather conditions, Jagmohan was only able to reach Srinagar early on the morning of the 21st to take stock of the situation and issue pertinent orders.}}

Journalist Arif Jamal states that, once Jamaat-e-Islami decided to take over the leadership of the insurgency, it moved into decisive action, activating "a decade of planning".{{sfn|Jamal|2009|loc=p. 143}}

== Events ==
=== 19 January ===
From the night of 19 January 1990 through the early morning hours of 20 January,<ref name="Joshi search" /> Jammu and Kashmir Police and CRPF conducted house-to-house searches in Guru Bazar and Chotta Bazaar, a congested locality in [[Downtown, Srinagar|downtown]] [[Srinagar]], aiming to find illegal weapons or evidence of support for militants.<ref name="HRW">
[https://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2006/09/11/everyone-lives-fear-0 Everyone Lives in Fear: Patterns of Impunity in Jammu and Kashmir]. Human Rights Watch. 2006.</ref> Some 300 people are said to have been arrested, most of whom were later released.{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=148}} The daily ''Alsafa News'' quoted locals alleging that security forces had molested women under the guise of search operations.<ref name="KL">{{Cite news |last=Life |first=Kashmir |date=2013-01-21 |title=Gawkadal A Massacre, A Case |url=https://kashmirlife.net/gawkadal-a-massacre-a-case-17813/ |access-date=2024-12-17 |newspaper=Kashmir Life}}</ref> Both Jagmohan and Abdullah deny any involvement in the decision to carry out the raid.<ref name="HRW" /> According to [[Manoj Joshi (journalist)|Manoj Joshi]], the search was ordered by the police chiefs.<ref name="Joshi search">{{harvnb|Joshi|1999|loc=pp. 39–40: "The first act was initiated by the state's top police officers, Director-General of Police J.N. Saksena and Inspector-General of the CRPF 'Tiger' Joginder Singh. To 'welcome' the hardline governor, they instituted the long-awaited crackdown with searches in Guru Bazar and Chota Bazar areas on the morning of 20 January and detained some 250 youths for interrogation. That same morning when Saksena arrived in Jammu from Srinagar to brief Jagmohan, he did not mention the searches or their possible fallout. Perhaps he had misjudged the situation."}}</ref>

The events saw the initiation of a mass revolt in the [[Kashmir Valley]]. Various reports indicate that Kashmiri Muslims were out on the streets shouting anti-India, pro-Pakistan and Islamic slogans. Mosques crackled with loudspeakers in the middle of the night, issuing slogans and playing pre-recorded messages.<ref>
{{harvnb|Schofield|2003|loc=p. 148: 'The whole city was out. I was sleeping — it was midnight. I heard people on the road shouting pro-Pakistani slogans and Islamic slogans — "Allah o Akbar", "What do we want? We want freedom!"' recalls Haseeb, a Kashmiri medical student. (p. 149) In defiance of what came to be called 'crackdown' by the authorities, the people continued to come out on the streets: 'There were loudspeakers in the mosques, encouraging people to come out. Everyday, all day people were shouting slogans,' recalls Haseeb. 'Azadi, Azadi, Allah-o Akbar — Freedom, Freedom, God is Great' was broadcast from the minarets.}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Chowdhary |first=Rekha |title=Jammu and Kashmir: 1990 and Beyond: Competitive Politics in the Shadow of Separatism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSGBDwAAQBAJ |year=2019 |publisher=SAGE Publishing India |isbn=978-93-5328-232-5 |at=p. 73: 'The use of the religious places for issuing threats and intimidating the minorities was a reality of that time. To quote Wajahat Habibullah who was posted as Special Commissioner in Anantnag in 1990, "... Places of worship, like the one in Anantnag, where the majority went, were being used to issue threats to them [Kashmiri Hindus] over loudspeakers. I learnt later that these inflammatory sermons, and their reverberating public applause, were audio recordings circulated to mosques to be played over loudspeakers at prayer time."}}</ref> ''[[India Today]]'' described the mood in the Valley as one of open defiance: "mobs challenged the gun, defying policemen to fire at them". They chanted slogans "Indian dogs go back" and "''Azadi ka matlab kya, La Ilahi lilillah [illallah]''" ("What is the meaning of freedom? It is Islamic State").<ref name="IT"/>

=== 20 January ===
As word of the raids spread on 20 January 1990, crowds gathered outside the Divisional Commissioner's office in Srinagar to protest the 'atrocities', and were tear-gassed.<ref name="Mridu Rai">{{citation |first=Mridu |last=Rai |chapter=Narratives from exile: Kashmiri Pandits and their construction of the past |title=Kashmir and the Future of South Asia |editor1=Sugata Bose |editor2=Ayesha Jalal |publisher=Routledge |year=2021 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x6oLEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |pages=103–104|isbn=9781000318722 }}</ref> Organisers fanned out through the city and massive processions were initiated by the evening.<ref>
{{harvnb|Joshi|1999|loc=p. 40: "Throughout 20 January, organizers fanned out across the city and from that evening, massive processions took to the streets demanding azadi, and chanting [slogan] 'Death to Indian dogs' and 'Allah-o-Akbar' ('God is great')".}}</ref> A curfew was imposed by nightfall.<ref name="Mridu Rai"/>

=== 21 January ===
On 21 January 1990, as reports of arrests and alleged molestation in the Chotta Bazaar locality spread across Srinagar, thousands of people gathered to protest. Processions marched through various parts of the city, heading toward Chotta Bazaar. When the unarmed crowd reached the Gawkadal bridge, they were fired upon by the CRPF, resulting in the deaths of around 50 people and injuries to dozens of others.{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=148}}<ref name="KL"/>

According to the Jammu and Kashmir security forces, upon approaching the wooden bridge a large crowd of demonstrators allegedly started pelting stones, after which the security forces fired on the crowd, leading to the death of several protestors.<ref name="IE"/> The police record mentions that "on January 21, a big crowd raising anti-India slogans was heading towards Lal Chowk and the security forces tried to stop the crowd near Gawkadal. Instead of dispersing, the unruly crowd started pelting stones at government buildings and security force personnel. The report ends without mentioning anything about the massacre that became the turning point of militancy in Kashmir."<ref name="IE" />

Indian authorities initially put the official death toll for the massacre initially at between 21 and 28.<ref name="Dalrymple">
{{citation |last=Dalrymple |first=William |url=https://www.nybooks.com/articles/21310 |title=Kashmir: The Scarred and the Beautiful |newspaper=The New York Review of Books |date=1 May 2008 |volume=55 |issue=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201175847/https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2008/05/01/kashmir-the-scarred-and-the-beautiful/ |archive-date=1 February 2016}}</ref> Certain international human rights organisations and scholars, however, estimated that at least 50. Journalist [[Tavleen Singh]] stated that over 100 protesters were killed.{{sfn|Schofield|2003|p=148}} Youth Forum for Kashmir put the number of fatalities as 55.<ref name=pakistannews/>

==Aftermath==
In the aftermath of the massacre, more demonstrations followed, and in January 1990, Indian paramilitary forces are believed to have killed around 300 protesters in total.<ref name=BBC>Mirza, Waheed. [https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6947968.stm Growing up in Kashmir's war zone]. "[[BBC News]]", 16 August 2007.</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] reported in May 1991 that, "In the weeks that followed the Gawkadal massacre as security forces fired on crowds of marchers and as militants intensified their attacks against the police and those suspected of aiding them, Kashmir's civil war began in earnest."<ref name=HRW/> [[MJ Akbar]], editor of the ''[[Asian Age]]'' newspaper, said, "January 19 became the catalyst which propelled into a mass upsurge. Young men from hundreds of homes crossed over into [[Pakistan administered Kashmir]] to receive arms and training in insurrection Pakistan came out in open support of secession, and for the first time, did not need to involve its regular troops in the confrontation. In Srinagar, each mosque became a citadel of fervor."<ref name=HRW/>{{Relevance inline|date=May 2025}}

No known actions were taken against the [[Central Reserve Police Force|CRPF]] forces officials responsible for the massacre, or against the officers present at Gawkadal that night. No government investigation was ordered into the incident.<ref name=HRW/> Fifteen years later, the police case was closed and those involved in the massacre were never held accountable.<ref name="IE"/>

==See also==
* [[Zakoora and Tengpora massacre]]
* [[Sopore massacre]]
* [[Handwara massacre]]
* [[Bijbehara massacre]]
* [[Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

; Sources
* {{citation |last=Jamal |first=Arif |title=Shadow War: The Untold Story of Jihad in Kashmir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNO5MAAACAAJ |year=2009 |publisher=Melville House |isbn=978-1-933633-59-6}}
* {{citation |last=Joshi |first=Manoj |author-link=Manoj Joshi (journalist) |title=The Lost Rebellion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pS5uAAAAMAAJ |date=1999 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-027846-0}}
* {{citation |last=Riedel |first=Bruce |author-link=Bruce Riedel |title=Deadly Embrace: Pakistan, America, and the Future of the Global Jihad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w3DQKuPzAXAC |year=2012 |publisher=Brookings Institution Press |isbn=978-0-8157-2283-0}}
* {{citation |last=Schofield |first=Victoria |author-link=Victoria Schofield |title=Kashmir in Conflict |publisher=I. B. Taurus & Co |location=London and New York |year=2003 |orig-year=2000 |isbn=1860648983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkTetMfI6QkC}}
* {{citation |last=Sirrs |first=Owen L. |title=Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate: Covert Action and Internal Operations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_S-TDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA157 |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-19609-9}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gawkadal massacre, 1990}}
[[Category:Indian war crimes in the Kashmir conflict]]
[[Category:1990 murders in India]]
[[Category:January 1990 in India]]
[[Category:1990s in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Massacres of protesters in India]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1990]]
[[Category:Massacres in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Massacres committed by India]]
[[Category:History of Srinagar]]
[[Category:1990 mass shootings in Asia]]
[[Category:Mass shootings in Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Massacres of Muslims in Kashmir]]
[[Category:Massacres of Muslims in India]]
[[Category:Massacres of Muslims]]

1990 Gawkadal massacre - Revision history

Pranjal mishra at 14:06, 23 April 2026