Template:Infobox civil conflict
The 1947–1948 Rajouri Massacres were the killing of thousands of residents and refugees in the Rajouri tehsil in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, by the Azad Kashmir Forces and Pashtun tribal militia during the First Kashmir War.[1][2] The "siege" of the town of Rajouri began on 7 November 1947 and ended on the 12 April 1948 when the Indian Army recaptured it. The massacre is commemorated annually in Rajouri and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[2][3]
Background
At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, princely states were left with the options of joining India or Pakistan or remaining independent. Hari Singh, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, preferred to remain independent. All major political groups of the state supported the Maharaja's decision, except for the Muslim Conference, which declared in favour of accession to Pakistan on 19 July 1947.[4] The Muslim Conference was popular in the Jammu province of the state. It was closely allied with the All-India Muslim League, which was set to inherit Pakistan.
On 6 October, the Poonch Rebellion officially began.[5][6] The Jammu and Kashmir State Forces, which were distributed in penny pockets along the border, were ordered to consolidate in towns in garrisons.Template:Sfnp War officially broke out in Jammu and Kashmir on 22 October, with a tribal invasion from Pakistan via Muzaffarabad and Baramulla. Looting and killing were widespread.[7][8]
Rajouri and Poonch witnessed a mass influx of Hindu and Sikh refugees from the west trying to escape the raiders. Rajouri's population swelled from 5,000 to over 40,000. Poonch experienced an increase from 10,000 to almost 50,000 people.[9]
Events
On 26-27 October, the Maharaja acceded to India, requesting armed assistance. India airlifted troops to defend the Kashmir Valley. However, it was not until 13 November, when the raiders were cleared off Uri, that the Indian troops could pay attention to the situation in the Jammu Division.Template:Sfnp Until then the State Forces had to fend for themselves. The forces lacked artillery (which had been transferred to the British Indian Army for World War II) and they were also short of ammunition (which had not been replenished since the departure of British on 15 August).Template:Sfnp
Rajauri was recaptured on 12 April 1948 by the 19 Infantry Brigade of the Indian Army under the command of Second Lieutenant Rama Raghoba Rane. Rane, despite being wounded, launched a bold tank assault by conveying the tanks over the Tawi river bed in order to avoid the road blocks along the main road.Template:Refn When the Indian Army entered the town, the captors had fled, having destroyed most of the town and killing the majority of its inhabitants.[10][11]
Aftermath
After recapturing Rajouri and the arrival of the Indian Army, some 1,500 refugees that had fled to the hills, including women and children, returned to the town.Template:Sfn The capture of Rajouri and the Rajouri Massacre was followed by the capture of Mirpur by Pakistani backed tribals and the subsequent Mirpur Massacre of Hindus and Sikhs.
The ceasefire line at the end of the war ran to the west of Rajouri district.
April 13 every year is now celebrated as Vijay Diwas in Rajouri.[12]
See also
- Persecution of Hindus
- Persecution of Sikhs
- 1947 Mirpur Massacre
- 1947 Jammu massacres
- Partition of India
References
- ↑ Template:Harvp: "During this time, the town of Rajouri was captured by what was known as 'Azad Kashmir forces' (Template:Sic armed rebels from Poonch and a section of Pakistani officials sympathetic to these rebels) as well as the Pathan tribesmen."
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tearful homage to martyrs of 1947 massacre in Rajouri, Daily Excelsior, 12 November 2017.
- ↑ The day Rajouri was recaptured, Maini, K.D.. dailyexcelsior.com. Daily Excelsior(12 April 2015). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- ↑ The Question of Accession(November 2010).
- ↑ Qaiyum Khan and the War of Kashmir, 1947-48 AD..
- ↑ [{{{url}}} Wars without End: The Indo-Pakistani Conflict]. Sage Publications(September 1995).
- ↑ Tom Cooper, I Indo-Pakistani War, 1947–1949 Template:Webarchive, Air Combat Information Group, 29 October 2003
- ↑ Ministry of Defence, Government of India. Operations in Jammu and Kashmir 1947–1948. (1987). Thomson Press (India) Limited, New Delhi. This is the Indian Official History.
- ↑ Militancy in Rajouri and Poonch, Bloeria, Sudhir. satp.org. South Asian Terrorism Portal(15 October 2020). Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ↑ Thunder Over Kashmir. Orient Blackswan.
- ↑ Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru, Second Series, Volume 6. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund/Oxford University Press.
- ↑ The day Rajouri was recaptured, Maini, K.D.. dailyexcelsior.com. Daily Excelsior(12 April 2015). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
Bibliography
- Henry Scott: The forgotten soldier of Kashmir. Epilogue({Template:Date).
- Rethinking Conflict at the Margins: Dalits and Borderland Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir: Going Beyond the Dominant Discourse. Cambridge University Press.
- The Crimson Chinar: The Kashmir Conflict: A Politico Military Perspective. Lancer Publishers(2015).
- Jammu and Kashmir{{#if:Das Gupta|, Das Gupta}. Springer(2012). ISBN 978-94-011-9231-6
- Jammu and Kashmir Arms: History of the J & K Rifles. Palit & Dutt.
- War and Peace in Modern India: A Strategic History of the Nehru Years. Palgrave Macmillan(2010).
- Empire's First Soldiers{{#if:Ramachandran|, Ramachandran}. Lancer Publishers(2008). ISBN 9780979617478
- Outstanding Victories of the Indian Army, 1947-1971{{#if:Sarkar|, Sarkar}. Lancer Publishers(2016). ISBN 978-1-897829-73-8
- History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, 1820-1956: The State Force Background. Lancer International.
- History of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, 1820-1956: The State Force Background. brahmasingh.co.nf.
- Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. SAGE Publications(23 March 2005). ISBN 9780761933229
- Kashmir: The Unwritten History{{#if:Snedden|, Snedden}. HarperCollins India(2013). ISBN 978-9350298985