Srinagar/ Kashmir: A release by Kashmir Diaspora Alliance (KDA) says India’s 4-Rajputana Rifles of the 68th Amy brigade raped over 40 women in Kunan and Poshpora villages in Maqbooza Kashmir during the night of February 23-24, 1991. Following a massive public outcry, the police lodged an FIR vide no 10/1991 against the army under various criminal sections at a police station in Trehgam.
Originally, the mission was supposedly an attempt to cordon off the village and find any grenades; instead the soldiers gathered all the men of the village after which they were barbarically interrogated them and severely tortured them physically and emotionally. The women of the village didn’t fare any better; they were raped irrespective of their age, at gun point. One of them had even delivered a child a few days ago but with the absence of any humanity, all of them were raped in front of their small children who looked on crying in horror while their mothers, sisters, daughters were raped in front of them. Among them was the story of a woman who was assaulted by six soldiers. One by one, they raped her while her five years old son was forced to watch, weeping beside the bed. Almost all the women of the village were raped.
The next morning when the men were released, they were shocked to see that all of the women in the village, the women that were so close to them, their daughters, mothers, wives, sisters were raped by the men in uniform. The whole village froze on that morning of 24th February, not because it was cold but due to the nature of the heinous crimes which infected the villagers with dead silence. It was clear that justice had to be served, yet, everyone felt so powerless. But the question is, how are people supposed to react when they are stripped off their dignity?
The Pakistan Government must lodge a complaint with United Nations that India is violating human rights in the occupied territory. As the Delhi rap culprits are being awarded death sentences, in the occupied territory criminals which are committing heinous crimes are walking away without facing any consequences what so ever. Meantime, International Criminal Court of Justice (Hague) is solicited to take sue motto actions to punish these beasts as India has been failed to provide justice for over 23 years. At the same times Pakistan has unequivocal right to demand from India to handover these culprits as Maqbooza Kashmir and its people are legally a territory and citizen of Pakistan respectively. The culprits of over 40 women raped in Kunan and Poshpora villages in Maqbooza Kashmir under Indian illegal occupation since October 27, 1947 by Indian armed personnel must be punished.
Source: Kashmir Diaspora Alliance (KDA).