Retired Indian Police Service officer and Author Dr NC Asthana has penned a heartfelt note after watching The Kashmir Files. He took to Twitter to affirm that the gruesome violence that haunted Kashmiri Hindus in the 1990s is scarier than what has been showcased in the film. He has also listed out the massacres of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir which happened years after the genocide of the Pundits broke out, and have been washed away in history.
Those who have any problem with the censor-cleared Kashmir Files, are free to boycott it or make another film to refute it. Fine. However, I have worked in Kashmir in very sensitive and responsible positions since the early 1990s–I know the truth is more scary than what is shown
— Dr. N. C. Asthana, IPS (Retd) (@NcAsthana) March 16, 2022
He wrote on Twitter, “Those who have any problem with the censor-cleared Kashmir Files, are free to boycott it or make another film to refute it,” Fine. He narrated his experience in the valley when he was posted as an officer in the region. “I have worked in Kashmir in very sensitive and responsible positions since the early 1990s-I know the truth is scarier than what is shown,” he added. He lamented how being bound by the Official Secrets Act, he and many of his colleagues who happened to be Kashmiri Pundits are not in a position to narrate the truth behind the genocide. The Secrets Act restricts Government officials from sharing information related to security, defence, etc. which could hamper national interests.
“That is the tragedy of governance. The public can have only an artistic version, not an official one,” he added. According to him, The Kashmir Militancy has had three dimensions – The Military – which is reflected in attacks on security forces and the police. The second is Insurrectional – the one that intends to organize bandhs, strikes, etc. The Communal dimension covers targeted attacks on civilians and people from other communities, especially Non-Muslims.
The Islamic Militancy in Kashmir is a continuous project. The genocide of Hindus in 1990 is clearly not an isolated event. As recent as in October 2021, A principal and school teacher at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Srinagar were shot dead after Muslim and Non-Muslim teachers were segregated. When 68-year old Makhan Lal Bindroo was working alone in his pharmacy in Srinagar, he was assassinated by Islamic terrorists alongside two other civilians.
Asthana listed out massacres after the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide of 1990 in which innocent Hindus were made victims of Islamic violence in the J&K region.
Wandhama massacre of 1998
The winter of 1998 in Wandhama, a town near Ganderbal of J&K, saw brutal killings of 25 Hindus including four children and nine women. Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen took the responsibility for the act. According to a testimony, the gunmen dressed as Indian Army soldiers visited Hindu households to have tea and subsequently gunned them with Kalashnikov rifles. On the next day, when Kashmiri Hindus in Delhi stormed the gates of The National Human Rights Commission, at least eleven were hit by water cannons used by the Police.
Massacre of Amarnath pilgrims in 2000
The year 2000 saw killing of 89-105 devotees in Amarnath during the pilgrimage yatra on August 1-2. Including this, nearly 62 people were brazenly injured in the five different attacks coordinated by separatist militants in Anantnag and Doda districts. Later, on July 20, 2001, when the Amarnath Yatra had commenced in the month of Shravan, 13 people were killed and 15 people were injured at a pilgrim camp based near Sheshnag lake.
Attacks on Raghunath temple in Jammu
The ancient Raghunath temple in Jammu witnessed two fidayeen attacks in the months of March and November in 2002. On March 20, 2002, two suicide bombers attacked the temple. 11 people were killed including 3 security personnel who were shot dead at the entrance and 20 were injured. The temple was attacked for the second time in the same year on November 24 when two suicide bombers entered the temple hurling hand-grenades at devotees. 14 Hindu devotees were killed in the attack with over 45 injured.
Qasimnagar massacre of Hindus, 2003
In Qasim Nagar, at the outskirts of Jammu city, 29 Hindu labourers were killed by Islamic terrorists disguised as Hindu saints. The poor labourers who were killed by AK-47 guns included two blind beggars, 13 women and one child who were listening to an India-Pakistan match commentary on a radio set.
Nandimarg Massacre, 2003
The massacre saw the killing of 24 Kashmiri Hindus in the Pulwama district by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists. The attack took place during midnight when terrorists came dressed in Indian military uniforms. Few Hindus who continued to reside in the region left the area after the massacre.
Doda Massacre, 2006
The Doda massacre saw the killing of 22 unarmed Hindus. mostly shepherds or their families who were lined up and gunned down by terrorists in Thawa village in Doda district on the night of 30 April 2006. On the same day, 35 Hindu shepherds were kidnapped and killed by terrorists in the neighbouring Lalon Gala village in Udhampur district.
