MT Desk: Tens of thousands of Muslims were massacred by Dogra forces, Indian troops and armed Hindutva groups in November 1947 while they were migrating from Jammu to Pakistan in the aftermath of the partition of the subcontinent.
Report released on the eve of the anniversary of the tragic incident said, the massacre remains one of the darkest and most tragic chapters in the history of Jammu and Kashmir.
The KMS report said that Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the world observe November 6 every year as Jammu Martyrs’ Day to commemorate the sacrifices of the Muslims of Jammu who were brutally killed during the 1947 massacre.
The report said the November 1947 massacre was among the most horrific episodes of mass violence in the history of the subcontinent. It added that the killings of Kashmiris, which began with the events of 1947, had continued in different forms over the decades, leaving an enduring legacy of suffering, displacement and political repression.
Describing the Jammu massacre as the bloodiest chapter in Kashmir’s history, the report said that the scars of the gruesome killings remained deeply embedded in the collective memory of the Kashmiri people. It said the mass killings and forced displacement of Muslims were aimed at changing the demographic composition of Jammu and weakening the Muslim majority in the region.
The report maintained that the massacre was carried out through a systematic campaign involving Dogra soldiers, Indian troops and armed members of Hindutva organisations, including the RSS, Mahasabha and Jana Sangh. It said that thousands of Muslim families were subjected to killings, looting, arson and forced displacement during the first week of November 1947.
The report warned that the policies of the BJP-led Indian government and its Hindutva-driven agenda had intensified concerns about the protection of the Muslim identity, political rights and demographic character of the occupied territory. It said that attempts to alter the region’s demographic composition, alongside military repression and restrictions on political activities, had further deepened the suffering of the Kashmiri people.
It added that the people of Jammu and Kashmir remained determined to resist oppression and continue their peaceful struggle for their internationally recognised right to self-determination, despite decades of repression and immense sacrifices. The report expressed confidence that the Kashmiri people would ultimately achieve freedom, dignity and political justice.
The report urged the United Nations, international human rights organisations and the global community to take serious notice of the 1947 Jammu massacre and the continuing human rights situation in IIOJK. The report called for an impartial investigation into historical atrocities, accountability for human rights violations and effective measures to protect the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people.
It stressed that the international community must fulfil its moral and legal responsibilities by ensuring that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are allowed to determine their political future through a free and impartial plebiscite in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.