Nadimarg massacre: 16 years on, the wounds remain

Sixteen years after the Nadimarg massacre, the memories of the incident are still fresh in the minds of the people of this south Kashmir village. Twenty-four people were killed by unknown gunmen on March 23, 2003, after they barged into the houses of Kashmiri Pandits at Nadimarg village

Shopian: From the early 1990s the Kashmiri pandits were forced to flee the valley after being targeted by JKLF and Islamist insurgents. Out of around 6 lakh Pandits, only 2000 to 3000 remained.

Amongst them ,the people of Nadimarg village chose not to flee and decided to live with their Muslim bretheren.

Both communities would together celebrate festivals and weddings, and join in funerals - till one fateful night 16 years ago.

It was on March 23, 2003, when unknown gunmen wearing combat dresses barged into the houses of Kashmiri Pandits at Nadimarg village and rounded up 24 persons on the spot including eleven men, eleven women and two children and assembled them in the courtyard of one of the houses. Then shots from the automatic weapons rang out. Many died on the spot. Some, though grievously injured, tried to flee. But to no avail.

The Pandits who survived the massacre were only fifteen in number.

The gunmen allegedly disfigured the bodies of the victims, looted their houses and took away the ornaments from the dead bodies of women.

Two days after the incident, survivors from the incident left their homes and started moving to Jammu and other parts of the country.

It has been 16 years since the horrifying incident but the memories of Nadimarg massacre are still fresh in the minds of the people of this south Kashmir village.

The roofs and walls of the left over twenty houses of the Pandit community have collapsed as the elements have taken their toll. The belongings of the residents have long vanished, stolen by those who feed on tragedies.