The memory of righteous is blessed. But the name of the wicked will rot - Bible.

1. Locating Kunan Poshpora

Kunan Poshpora, located in district Kupwara is one of the most beautiful places in Kashmir, if not physically, at least symbolically, still untouched. It is about 90 kilometres from centrally located Srinagar city, about three-hour drive along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. The highway is very well maintained by the Border Roads Organization, a blessing in disguise for Kashmiris! Kunan Poshpora is located in Trehgam Block of Kupwara. Kunan and Poshpora were two separate villages till they were united by the same misfortune and a common struggle. Now the two can never be separated from one another.

I attempt to narrate a remembered yet forgotten story. We can at least afford memory!

2. That Night In Kunan Poshpora

It is a story of winning wars without using artillery, let alone, following ethics. Year 1991. The intervening night of 23rd/24th February- not just another freezing moonlit night in Kunan Poshpora, like elsewhere in Kashmir. They say clear skies unleash most icicles that can be seen dangling like icy lianas from the tin/paddy straw rooftops of uniquely cozy houses of Kashmiris. Houses where the aroma of spiritual Duaa from the Masjids infused with Noon Chai wakes you up in the morning, and, mouth drooling spicy dinners lead you to beds, the in folds of which are all filled up with the warmth of a Kangri, welcoming you to a sleep of sweetest dreams- away from the brutalities of real life. The story begins with the planning of a cordon-and-search operation in the Army Headquarters of 4 Rajputana Rifles, 68 Mountain Brigade at Trehgam. In a cordon-and-search operation, the area is surrounded on all sides by soldiers, and all households are searched to locate any Unwanted Elements. In Kashmir, the draconian acts- the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act, allow the armed personnel to conduct such operations (“crackdowns”, in local language) at any time of the day or night. The Battalion leaves the army camp (Trehgam) at 9 pm in dreaded army vehicles- Bakhtarbands. The army storms into the houses, breaking or kicking down the doors, at 11 PM, separating men from women. The search parties of 5-10 army men start assaulting the men, forcefully dragging them out of their houses and making the women stay inside. The light bulbs and lanterns are smashed and candles are blown out.

After this doomed night, Kunan Poshpora is never the same. Heaven turns into Hell. The whole village resonates with cries as the same stories emerge from each house. Men not only hear cries and screams of their women being raped helplessly but also howl themselves for being tortured, mercilessly.

3. The Torture Unleashed

Women of each house, of all ages, deaf and dumb, minor and pregnant, are held by a minimum of 5-6 army men. Pushed to the walls, they shout and scream for help, for mercy. Their screams are in vain. Guns are pointed at their chests and mouths. Army men are drunk, and are seen drinking during the operations. They tear the women’s pherans, pull down their trousers and rape them. They take turns and sometimes take two rounds of the same house. The women resist, but in vain. Mothers are raped in front of their daughters. Grandmothers and their granddaughters are raped in the same room.

Men are taken to makeshift interrogation centers established in the house of Abli Dar, Ghani Dar, and Asad Dar. Men from the two villages are assembled and made to sit barefoot in the snow. While some are kicked and roughed up by army men, others are electrocuted on the private parts. Their heads are dipped in buckets of freezing water with red chillies in them.

This is the story of misfortune linked with Kunan Poshpora. The story that every stream, conifer, concrete, and of course, the sky remembers and recalls every night. It may seem unreal but it happened in Kunan Poshpora. In Kashmir. In the Heaven on Earth. The whole night, each and every inhabitant of Kunan Poshpora cried for mercy, only to hear echoes from all sides.

4. The Day After

The Sun rose in a hurry taking stock of the nightlong hue. The Moon had gone sooner, unable to see the beasts unleashing horror the whole night. The reality of humans beyond her modesty and tolerance. The icicles were taller but the houses no longer welcoming. Things changed so drastically overnight that there was no life left in anything at all. The cordon in the inner areas of the village was lifted at 9 am on 24 February. However, the outer cordon continued. This was done deliberately to prevent the villagers from reporting the incident or from getting any form of help from the neighboring villages. All the men returned to their houses in the morning. Some were so brutalized that they crawled home, only to undergo the whole torture anew. Upon returning, the men were shocked to see the women bleeding, naked, unable to move and barely conscious. There was mass hysteria in the village. The whole village was mourning. All they had been left with were their own bleeding bodies and no one to tell.

5. Inquiries and Impunity

Despite being in a state of trauma, the villagers began the process of complaining about the most barbaric act on record, the day after the incident took place. After the incident, a communique was framed, signed by over thirty survivors the very next day. In their communication to the then Deputy Comissioner, SM Yasin, they described the violence unleashed by the army against their mothers, sisters, daughters, and the menfolk. But, the letter took almost a week, after submitting, to be taken on official record. DC SM Yasin visited the village on 5 March, 1991 to take account of the situation. On the basis of his enquiry, he sent a confidential report to the then Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Wajahat Habibullah on 7 March with copies to Director General of Police, J&K Government (both Jammu and Srinagar), Special Commissioner, Baramulla, DIG of Police Range, Baramulla, and, SP Kupwara, for information and necessary action.

However, ultimately the case was hushed up on flimsy grounds by the authorities, concluding that “veracity of the complaint is highly doubtful.” Also, once the press learnt about the incident and rumours were already spreading throughout the valley, the army felt the pressure to start their own inquiry as they found it impossible to suppress the people’s outrage and anger. Yet again, the campaign of maligning people of Kunan Poshpora was pioneered. The reports of the BMO were ridiculed saying that “The BMO’S medical report on the alleged 32 rape cases is worthless”. The report of DC SM Yasin was also dismissed stating that it was not properly investigated.

In the absence of any other information in the public domain, such lies and misinterpretations gave birth to many myths about the Kunan Poshpora Case- “that there was a delay in making an official complaint”, “medical evidence shows that the mass rape did not take place”, and, “villagers and early official accounts of that night are full of gaps and contradictions”. It was also unethical and unfortunate that the confidentiality of rape survivors was not maintained during court proceedings, clearly violating of the guidelines of the Supreme Court regarding handling rape cases.

6. The recent struggle

The Delhi Rape case of 2012 shook India. The whole nation, from higher officials to common people to the judiciary, acknowledged the cancer of sexual violence against women spreading across every nook and corner. This lead a group of young women in Kashmir come together as the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS). JKCCS along with the Support Group for Justice to Kunan Poshpora Victims (SGKP) decided to file a PIL against the impunity. As a matter of fact, the number of petitioners dropped to mere 50 when asked to provide a document proof! Fear dampens courage. The PIL was finally re-filed in HC with the names and identity cards of 50 women on 20 April, 2013. Meanwhile, the police had suddenly filed a closure report on investigations into the case in March, 2013, before the Magistrate Kupwara- and this was 22 years after the case had been closed as “untraced” on their files! Probably this was done deliberately to defeat the PIL. After three hearings, the PIL was finally disposed off by the HC as being premature. Since then, the case has not seen any of the accused being investigated, let alone punished.

7. Our Journey Of Resistance and Resilience

Although there were no significant outcomes of the struggle for justice, but looking at the larger perspective makes us- the Women of Kashmir, breathe a sigh of optimism. The case has brought together people, especially young women and has helped to bridge divides and diminish differences. 24 February came to be recognized as the Women’s Resistance Day. The whole journey taught us the importance of unlearning the stereotypes, mustering the courage to speak the truth, and, Remembering Kunan Poshpora, in the least.

Women of Kashmir may feel vulnerable to all kinds of violence - sexual impunity being the greatest of all. But, worthy of mentioning is the prowess we gain from the resistance and resilience showcased at every step by the survivors of Kunan Poshpora in particular, and those of other such incidents- Shopian Rape and Murder Case, Ballipora Pazipora Case and so on, from being vocal about such deplorable barbarity, to repeating the same statements every now and then in front of courts full of sneering gazes, to watching the perpetrators walk freely even after reporting the incidents!

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