Jammu, the tragedy of the Srebrenica massacre, where 8,372 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed, has been widely recognized as a horrific war crime. Yet decades earlier, in November 1947, the Jammu region witnessed a human carnage that has since been overshadowed in the public memory. Termed as the ‘Jammu genocide,’ the event resulted in the deaths of thousands of Muslims, a toll that is reported to have far exceeded the atrocities in Srebrenica.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the ‘Jammu genocide’ occurred in the winter capital of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, then under the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh. Paramilitary forces, allegedly led by the ruler’s army, carried out what has been described as a pre-planned ethnic cleansing to alter the demographic balance of the region. Reports from The Times, London, in 1948, suggest that 237,000 Muslims were systematically exterminated.

Idrees Kanth, a fellow at the International Institute of Social History, and author PG Rasool have both characterized the massacre as a state-sponsored act. The involvement of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other forces in the communal killings has been cited, with evidence of large-scale violence, including rape and abduction of Muslim women.

Eyewitness accounts from the time describe how thousands of Muslims from the Jammu province were displaced and killed over a span of three weeks. The violence was so extensive that Muslims who had once been the majority in the Jammu region were rendered a minority. This shift in demographic composition was seen as a strategic move corresponding with the partition of India and the ensuing territorial conflicts.

Mahatma Gandhi himself commented on the dire situation in Jammu, implicating the Maharaja of Kashmir in the events. Questions have been raised about the level of coordination between state forces, the RSS, and forces from Patiala, indicating a planned genocide at a higher level, possibly with the knowledge or involvement of Indian leadership at the time.

The article calls for an independent and international investigation into the Jammu genocide to uncover the extent of the atrocities committed. Such an inquiry would aim to document the actual loss of life, instances of rape, torture, property plunder, and the conditions of the refugees still affected by the events of 1947.

The recounting of this history is not just a look into the past but a call to acknowledge the human suffering that has yet to be fully recognized or redressed, drawing parallels to the Srebrenica massacre which remains a painful reminder of the United Nations’ shortcomings. The remembrance of the Jammu genocide stands as a testament to the darker chapters of human history that remain largely unspoken.