Alwaght- Indian-controlled Kashmir has observed a complete shutdown on Monday to mark the 28th anniversary of Gaw Kadal massacre in which Indian forces killed 52 unarmed protesters and injured more than 250 others.
Police disallowed the rally and detained Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik and caged many other activists to foil the rally.
Despite curbs people reached to Basant Bagh to hold a memorial meeting near the massacre site. participants vowed to take the mission of the victims to its logical end.
Activists read a statement while paying tribute to the victims of 21 January 1990 massacre:
"Proclaiming democracy on one hand and using police might to stop peaceful gatherings and tribute assemblies on the other hand are two contradictory things. United India during its struggle for freedom from British occupation witnessed only one Jalianwala Bagh massacre, but Kashmiris have witnessed dozens of such massacres carried out by forces from 1990 to date. January 21, 1990, is a historical day when Kashmiris resisted bullets but refused to budge before tyranny and falsehood."
“January 21 is an important day of Kashmir’s 5000 year old history. On this day thousands of unarmed people came out of their houses to demand freedom and right to self determination and protested against the crackdown of forces that had been started from Guru-Bazar, Kani-Kadal and Chota-Bazar .These peaceful people were showered with bullets by forces and police, killing more than 50 on the spot and injuring hundreds of others,” the leadership said.
"In 1990, New Delhi deployed Jagmohan in J&K. The purpose was to kill, beat and humiliate Kashmiris. The criminal campaign started from Gaw Kadal massacre that was followed by more massacres at Handwara, Kupwara, Hawal Srinagar, Sopore, Sailan Poonch, Zakura, By-pass Batamaloo, Magarmal Bagh, Baderwah, Marmat Doda, and Bijebihara, Hazratbal, Gojwara, Mashali Mohalla, Khanyaar and Dalgate in coming days and years.”
“The sole aim of Delhi was to terrorize people of Kashmir through these brutal massacres and put an end on their march towards freedom and right to self-determination but Delhi failed in doing so in past and is bound to fail in future too,” he said.
“People of J&K will continue their march towards freedom with passion and zeal despite all these harsh measures and the day is not far when Kashmiris will also achieve their right of self-determination.”
Despite repeated pleas, New Delhi has not conducted probe into the incident even after about three decades.
