Washington D.C, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, a US-based Kashmiri activist and Secretary General of the Kashmir Awareness Forum, emphasized the Chotta Bazaar massacre as a stark reminder of the relentless human rights abuses committed by Indian forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, on June 11, 1991, Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel fired on civilians in Srinagar’s Zainakadal area following an alleged altercation with unknown assailants, resulting in at least 32 deaths and 22 injuries. Dr. Fai highlighted this event in a recent statement, pointing to other similar incidents, including the Chattisingpora massacre and the Pathribal killings, as evidence of systematic violence perpetrated against Kashmiri civilians under the guise of counterinsurgency.
The Pathribal incident, initially blamed on ‘foreign militants’, was later confirmed by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation as a cold-blooded murder by the Indian army. Dr. Fai criticized the Indian government’s use of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which he argued facilitates these atrocities by granting the military extensive powers without accountability. He called for international intervention to repeal these laws and end what he described as India’s occupation of Kashmir, urging global leaders to move beyond rhetoric to meaningful action against human rights violations.