Srinagar, Thirty years have elapsed since the tragic Kupwara massacre in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), yet the families of the victims continue to seek justice. The massacre, which claimed the lives of 27 civilians, remains a poignant reminder of the unresolved grievances in the region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the massacre occurred on January 27, 1994, a day following India’s Republic Day. Indian troops, in an act of retribution for the local population’s observance of a shutdown on the national holiday, launched an attack in Kupwara town, resulting in the death of 27 civilians and leaving scores injured. Eyewitness accounts and investigations indicated that the attack was in response to the local shopkeepers’ failure to attend the Republic Day celebrations at a nearby army camp, leading to a brutal response from the soldiers.

The incident has since been the subject of a petition by the Chairman of the International Forum for Justice and Human Rights, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo. The Human Rights Commission of the occupied territory has requested a detailed report on the massacre from the relevant authorities. However, despite these efforts, the outcome of a Court of Inquiry, which was reportedly established by the army to investigate the incident, has not been disclosed to the police or public.

The Kupwara massacre is one of several violent incidents in the history of occupied Kashmir that have yet to see any form of judicial resolution. Despite the passage of three decades, the perpetrators involved in the Kupwara carnage, along with other similar incidents, have not been held accountable. This ongoing lack of justice continues to fuel the freedom struggle in Kashmir, as locals demand an end to such brutalities and seek a logical conclusion to their long-standing grievances.