https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=1990_Handwara_massacre1990 Handwara massacre - Revision history2026-07-31T09:42:03ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=1990_Handwara_massacre&diff=481981&oldid=prevJanamkatha at 07:19, 27 April 20262026-04-27T07:19:42Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Death of protestors in Kashmir in India}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2020}}<br />
{{Infobox civilian attack<br />
| title = Handwara massacre<br />
| partof = [[Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir]]<br />
| image = <br />
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| alt = <br />
| caption = <br />
| map = <br />
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| location = [[Handwara]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India<br />
| target = Civilians<br />
| coordinates = <br />
| date = 25 January 1990<br />
| time = 11am-2pm<br />
| timezone = <br />
| type = [[Massacre]]<br />
| fatalities = 21 killed<br />
| injuries = 75 wounded<br />
| perpetrators = {{flagdeco|India}} [[Border Security Force]]<br />
}}<br />
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The '''Handwara massacre''' was the killing of 21 Kashmiri civilians by the [[Border Security Force]] on 25 January 1990 in [[Handwara]], a town in the [[Kupwara district]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=migrator |date=2018-01-24 |title=Handwara massacre survivors want a memorial for the victims |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/kashmir/handwara-massacre-survivors-want-a-memorial-for-the-victims/ |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Greater Kashmir |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-01-25 |title=29 Years On, Justice Eludes Handwara Massacre Victims |url=https://kashmirobserver.net/2019/01/25/29-years-on-justice-eludes-handwara-massacre-victims/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Kashmir Observer |language=en-US}}</ref><br />
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==Background==<br />
Prior to the Handwara incident, on 21 January 1990, the [[Central Reserve Police Force]] (CRPF) had opened fire on protesters at the Gawkadal bridge in Srinagar, leading to significant civilian casualties. This event, known as the [[1990 Gawkadal massacre|Gawkadal massacre]], intensified public outrage and led to widespread protests across the region.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kashmir: The Scarred and the Beautiful |url=https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2008/05/01/kashmir-the-scarred-and-the-beautiful/ |website=The New York Review of Books |access-date=26 January 2022 |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 |url-status=dead}}</ref><br />
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== Massacre ==<br />
On 25 January 1990, thousands of residents gathered in Handwara to protest the [[Gawkadal massacre]] and demand accountability for massacre which had occurred four days earlier. The protesters, chanting slogans and waving placards, marched through the town. As the procession approached the Handwara Police Station, a Tata Matador (407) carrying [[Border Security Force|BSF personnel]] arrived at the scene.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Handwara Massacre {{!}} Jan 25, 1990: When 21 people fell to BSF bullets |url=https://www.greaterkashmir.com/kashmir/handwara-massacre-jan-25-1990-when-21-people-fell-to-bsf-bullets |access-date=26 January 2022 |website=Greater Kashmir}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title="It was doomsday": 31 years on, justice eludes Handwara massacre victims |url=https://thekashmirwalla.com/it-was-doomsday-31-years-on-justice-eludes-handwara-massacre-victims/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125144909/https://thekashmirwalla.com/it-was-doomsday-31-years-on-justice-eludes-handwara-massacre-victims/ |archive-date=25 January 2022 |access-date=26 January 2022 |website=the Kashmir Walla}}</ref><br />
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According to eyewitnesses, the BSF personnel opened fire indiscriminately into the crowd without any warning. The shooting resulted in the immediate deaths of 21 civilians and left over 75 others injured. The victims included women and children, with several eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic and harrowing, with bodies lying on the ground and survivors scrambling to escape the gunfire.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-01-25 |title=Handwara Massacre: Where 25 fell to Bullets mourning Gaw Kadal |url=https://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/handwara-massacre-where-25-fell-to-bullets-mourning-gaw-kadal/?amp=1 |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=The Kashmiriyat |language=en-US}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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{{coord missing|Jammu and Kashmir}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Handwara massacre, 1990}}<br />
[[Category:Massacres in Jammu and Kashmir]]<br />
[[Category:1990 murders in India]]<br />
[[Category:Massacres in 1990]]<br />
[[Category:Massacres committed by India]]<br />
[[Category:Massacres of protesters in India]]<br />
[[Category:Indian war crimes in the Kashmir conflict]]<br />
[[Category:1990s in Jammu and Kashmir]]<br />
[[Category:January 1990 crimes]]<br />
[[Category:January 1990 in India]]<br />
[[Category:Kupwara district]]<br />
[[Category:Massacres of Muslims in Kashmir]]<br />
[[Category:Massacres of Muslims in India]]<br />
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{{Massacre-stub}}<br />
{{India-hist-stub}}<br />
[[Category:Violence against women in India]]<br />
[[Category:Massacres of Muslims]]</div>Janamkatha