Killings of Kashmiri Pandits
Name: Tej Krishen Razdan (Age: 30s)
Resident of: Yachgam (District Budgam)
Profession: Central Govt. Service
Date of Killing: 12.2.1990
Razdan was posted somewhere in Punjab. He had come to Srinagar on leave to see his family. An old colleague of his - a Muslim - who had been working with him while he was in Kashmir - came to pay a visit on the fateful day. Both of them boarded a mini-bus bound for Lal Chowk. When the matador (mini van) halted at Gao Kadal, Razdan's companion suddenly took out a pistol and shot him in the chest. Not content, he dragged the still breathing Razdan out of the vehicle and ordered other passengers to kick the dying man repeatedly. His body was then dragged through the street like sweepers drag a dead dog. Taken to the nearest mosque, the dead body was put on display for hours before the police came to take control of the body.
Name: Ashok Kumar Qazi (Age: 30s)
Resident of: Shashyar, Srinagar
Profession: Worked in the Handicrafts Deptt
Date of Killing: 24.2.1990
A group of three terrorists accosted him on the fateful day in Zaindar Mohalla locality while he was going for shopping. They shot him on the knuckles. He fell down and cried in agony for help. None among the passers by or the shopkeepers responded. They just looked the other way despite the fact that they knew the man as he belonged to their locality and was an energetic social worker. In their sadistic frenzy, the three murderes tarted a death dance around the helpless Qazi. Theyy pulled his hair out. They slapped him continuously and they spat on his face. One of them even unfastened his trousers and urinated on him. Dying and profusely bleeding, the militants did not kill him immediately but enjoyed the writhing and twitching of his body. They wanted him to die by inches. The siren of a distant police van, however, mercifully ended his agony as, in panic, the terrorists pumped bullets into his stomach and chest leaving his dead body on the frozen road.
Name: Navin Saproo (Age:30s)
Resident of: Habba Kadal, Srinagar
Profession:Central Govt. Service
Date of Killing: 27.2.1990
He was returning from his office when, near Kanya Kadal, terrorists sprayed him with bullets in broad day-light and in full view of the passersby; he fell down but was still breathing. A Hindu woman, who happened to be there, frantically pleaded with the terrorists to spare the young man's life. She was pushed back. Dancing around him in glee, they shot at him over and over again avoiding any vital organ just to prolong his agony bleeding profusely. For the terrorists, the sadism was yet to come. As the wailing relatives of the young man took away his body in a police van - yes in a police van - the terrorists followed in a truck right up to the cremation ground, dancing and singing all the way. The singing and dancing continued till his body was reduced to ashes.
Bansi Lal Saproo R/O: Gulab Bagh
Killed on 24.4.1990
Choni Lal Koul R/O: Churath, Kulgam
Name: P. N. Kaul
Resident of: Bijbihara, District Anantnag
Profession: Shopkeeper
Date of Killing: 22.3.1990
He was skinned off alive and left to die. His putrified body was discovered three days later.
Name: B. K. Ganjoo (Age:30s)
Resident of: Chota Bazar, Srinagar
Profession: Central Govt. Service
Date of Killing: 22.3.1990
Ganjoo, a telecom engineer, was coming home during the curfew relaxation period. He never suspected that he was being followed by the terrorists as he had no reason to be a suspect. When he reached the vicinity of his house, his wife, however, observed that he was being pursued. As Ganjoo entered his house, she quickly bolted and locked the door. But the terrorists were undeterred and crashed through. The pursued man ran up to the third floor of his house and hid himself in a rice bin. The terrorists ransacked the entire house and were ready to leave as they could not locate their victim. But the fate willed otherwise. Ganjoo's muslim neighbors, who had seen Ganjoo hide himself in the bin, called the militants back and pointed towards the container. Out they pulled him, pumped him with bullets and left him bleeding on the rice. While leaving, they shouted, "Let your blood be soaked in the rice and let your children eat it. Ah, what a tasty meal it would be".
Name: Bhushan Lal Raina (Age: 29 years)
Resident of: Ompora, District Budgam
Profession: Worked in Sher-i-Kashmir Medical Institute, Soura
Date of Killing: 28.4.1990
Scared by the terrorists' violence in the valley, Raina had finally decided to leave Kashmir along with his mother. He wanted to leave on April 29 and started packing his belongings a day earlier. While he was busy, a group of terrorists gate-crashed into his house. Seeing them, the aged mother of Raina implored them to spare the life of his son as he was about to be married. "They could kill her instead if kill they must", she pleaded. But they would not listen to her. With a sharp pointed iron rod, they pierced his skull. They dragged him out and nailed him to a tree after stripping off his clothes. They killed him by inches while he begged to be shot.
Ramesh Kumar Raina
Killed on 28.5.1990
Raju Sharma
Killed on 8.6.1990
Name: Ramesh Kumar Raina
Resident of: Rainawari, Srinagar
Date of Killing: 31.6.1990
Ramesh Kumar Raina, 27, martyred in Rainawari, has left behind two children, two young sisters and aged parents. He ran a small shop repairing stoves. Raina was kidnapped on May28, 1990. On June 1, his body was fished out from river Jehlum. His family came to know through the newspapers. Before dumping his body into the river, he had been strangulated.
Name: Sarwanand Kaul Premi (Age: 64 years), Virender Kaul (Age: 27 years) - Son
Resident of: Soaf Shali, District Anantnag
Profession: Retired Teacher, Central Govt. Service respectively
Date of Killing: 30.4.1990
Sarwanand Kaul Premi
Premi was a well-known Kashmiri poet and a scholar. Even though his family requested him to leave the village in view of the mounting terrorist activities and unabated killings of his community members, he refused, believing in the "secular traditions" of his beloved Kashmiri. He was deeply religious and also deeply liberal. He thought he was respected widely in the area predominated by the Muslims. And this faith was ultimately shattered when in the evening of 29th April, three terrorists entered his house and ordered the entire family to collect in one room. The terrorists ordered that they should collect all their valuable - gold, jewelery, cash, pashmina garments, saris, shawls etc. - in the room. The other gold women and the men were wearing was torn off their bodies. Packing all these in an emptied suitcase, they asked the frail and soft-spoken Premi to carry the suitcase and follow them. "We mean no harm to him and he will return", the terrorists told the wailing and weeping family members. Then fate intervened and Virender Kaul, his son, volunteered to accompany his father so that he could lead the old man back in the dark night. "Come on you too, if you so desire", they told Virender. Both, the father and the son, were herded out of the house.
What followed would put to shame even Hitler's secret agents. When the dead bodies were found after two days, the scene was apalling and nauseating. The place in between the eyebrows, where Premi used to apply the sandal wood mark commonly known as "Tilak" was found pierced by an iron and skin peeled off. The entire body bore the marks of cigarette burns. The limbs were found broken and eyes of both father and the son gouged out. They were later hanged and to be doubly sure shot too.
This, to a man, in whose house a rare manuscript of the holy Quran was found placed with reverence in his prayer room.
Read Koshur Samachar article: Amar Shaheed Sarwanand Kaul Premi - A Profile
Name: Dina Nath Mujoo (Age: 75 years)
Resident of: Rawalpora, Srinagar
Profession : Retired Govt employee
Date of Killing: 7.7.1990
Pandit Dina Nath Muju, (78) a saintly scholar, was brutally murdered by some unknown assailants at his residence at '71, Rawalpora Housing Colony, Srinagar, Kashmir during the night of 6/7 July, 1990 when he and his wife were alone over there, after having vehementally pursuaded their children to leave Srinagar on account of threats from the militants. Though some arrests were reportedly made in connection with the murder of Pandit D.N. Muju, no progress has been reported so far. His well wishers are demanding that the case be handed over to C.B.I.
Pandit Dina Nath Muju was not only an efficient teacher dedicated to his profession, but was also a guide and friend to one and all who came in contact with him. He was a retired Headmaster of the Teacher's Training School, Srinagar. A follower of the principles of Universal Brotherhood as enshrined in the basic principles of the theosophical thought, and very considerate lo all living beings, should not have met such a tragic end as Pandit Dina Nath Muju met at the hands of these barbarians.
Pandit Dina Nath Muju was greatly interested in education, religious studies, philosophy, especially theosophy, Kashmir Shaivism and teachings of Shri J. Krishnamurti. A sympathiser of the poor and downtrodden and greatly interested in the emancipation of women in general and their education in particular, Pandit Dina Nath Muju was also a life-long member of the Women's Welfare Trust, Kashmir, the first institution to set up educational institutions for women in Kashmir under the aegies of the Theosophical Society.
Name: Girija Tickoo (Age: Late 20s)
Profession: Teacher
Date Or Killing: 25.6.1990
Girija had left the Valley in the wake of mounting terrorism and spate of killings of minority community there. She was in Jammu when someone told her that she can collect her pay at Bandipora where she was working in school before fleeing the valley. Shs was assured that she will come to no harm as the conditions had started returning to normal. She left for Srinagar snd then for Bandipora in north Kashmir from there. She never returned. Her body sawn into two, was found on the road-side on 25th June, 1990. From examination of the body, it was found that she was first-raped and then cut into two pieres not by a mechanical saw, but by a carpenter's saw - yes by a carpenter saw. The agony is hard to imagine. A living human being sawn by a carpenter's saw by barbarians claiming to be the fighters for freedom.
Chota Lal Maisuma
Killed on 7.6.1990
Avtar Krishan
Killed on 14.6.1990
Name: i/ Prof K. L. Ganjoo, ii/ Mrs K. L. Ganjoo
Age: i/ Late 40s, ii/ -do-
Resident of: Sopore
Profession: i/ Lecturer, ii/ Teacher
Date of Killing: 7.5.1990
Ganjoo, a lecturer at the Agricultural College at Wadors near Sopore, had returned from Nepal after attending a conference along with his wife. Two officials of the college were sent with a jeep to receive him. And receive they did. Dragging him and his wife out of the vehicle, right in the middle of the bridge at Sopore, they shot at him. They threw the wounded man into the river Jhelum to die. A young nephew of the couple, who was also with them, was given a choice-either to jump into the river to which his uncle had been consigned or watch what they were going to do with his aunt. They counted "3" and the boy jumped into the river. The bullet riddled body of Prof Ganjoo was found some days later on the banks of river Jhleum. His nephew, a non-swimmer, somehow survived and managed to escape. What happened to Prof Ganjoo's wife is not exactly known, there being conflicting reports about her. According to official reports, police has not been able to trace her out so far. But some newspaper reports say that she was gang raped by the terrorists and then killed in a gruesome manner.
Name: Shri Ashok Kumar
Age: 30s
Resident of: Pulwama
Profession: Not known
Date of Killing: Not available
Ashok Kumar was kidnapped by Jamat-i-Islami militants. The kidnappers broke his limbs and then brought him to the main square of the town. There, he was forced to confess/being a member of the CPI(M). He was then asked to beg for mercy which he did. Even then the militants did not let him off. They gouged out his eyes and shot him dead.
Name: Ashok Suri
Resident of: Kralpora
Profession: Driver
Suri, who was a driver, used to carry newspapers to the western news stand in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. On the fateful day, he was kidnapped by the militants on his way to Srinagar. They very sevely tortured him and his body bore the marks of cigarette burns which bears the testimony of the extent to which he was subjected to. When he was almost half dead they told him that they actually wanted to kill his brother and had caught hold of him by mistake. At this stage, the militants let him off. On reaching home somehow, Suri narrated the incident to his brother, an employee of SBI, Srinagar. He beggcd of him to flee as his life was in danger. But the latter did not agree. At about midnight, the militants came again and gate crashed in his house. They attacked Ashok Suri with a sharp edged weapon cutting his neck and left him to die.
Janki Nath Killed on 26.7.1990
Rattan Lal Raina
Killed on 18.8.1990
Name: Chuni Lal Shalla
Resident of: Sopore
Profession: Inspector of Police, J&K Govt.
Shalla was posted at Langate near Kupwars. He wanted to visit his family at Sopore after about six months. To avoid being identified by the Jamat-i-Islami mililants, Shalla had grown beard. A Muslim constable working under him at Langate, also accompanied him in the same bus to Sopore. On reaching Sopore, two militants came searching for him but could not recognise him. They had hardly left when the Muslim Constable called them back and divalged the identity of Shalla to them. Without waiting for him, the Constable himself took out a dagger and slashed off his entire right cheek along with the beard. Blood queshed out and the poor Shalla was in a state of shock. The cruel Constable jolted him saying "You suar (pig). I will not allow you to have Jamat-i-Islami type beard on your other cheek also. He slashed off his left cheek too. The two militants and the Muslim Constable then battered his face with hockey sticks shouting "Bastard, we won't waste a bullet on you". They fled the scene and left Shall bleeding to die.
Name: Damodar Saroop Raina (Age: 65 years)
Resident of: Dambeloo (Anantnag)
Profession: Retired Govt. employee
The terrorists came to his house at dead of night. He tried to avoid to meet them. His wife pleaded with them that he was not in the house. But they gate crashed and searched the entire house. Finding the old man hiding in a corner in the top floor room, they dragged him out, ignoring the heart rending pleas of his wife. They took no heed of her wailing. She cried for help from the neighbours but except staring stone faced from their houses, they refused to come to her aid. The old man continues to be untraced so far.
Omkar Nath Kak; R/O: Tarhaman
Killed on 29.8.1990
Bansi Lal
Killed on 30.8.1990
Name: B. L. Raina (Age: 35 years)
Resident of: Dambeloo (Anantnag)
Profession: Govt. employee
Date of Killing: 26.6.1990
Raina was out of the valley but went back on hearing the news of the kidnapping of his father. For 25 days, they waited with the security forces guarding him, his family and other relatives who had come from Jammu after hearing the news of kidnapping of Mr. Saroop. On 26th June, police told them that it was futile to wait as there was no chance of his recovery dead or alive. Accompanied by a posse of security men, the family was despatched in a vehicle to Jammu. Raina accompanied them up to Qazigund leaving behind his wife and two children in his native village. After the other members of the family were safely despatched, he returned to Anantnag and then to his village in spite of the warning of the police that there was danger and he also should move to Jammu. But he could not do so, for he had left his family at Dambeloo. Just a kilometer from his home, the vehicle was ambushed by terrorists and Raina was one of the three victims. So within a span of 23 days, two members of the family - father and son - fell victims to the terrorists. The father had already lost another son two years ago.
Dwarika Nath
Killed on 13.9.1990
Rajinder Prasad
Killed on 15.12.1990
Name: Hridaya Nath and Radha Krishen
Resident of: Habba Kadal, Srinagar
Date of Killing: 9.7.1990
Their bodies were found with chopped heads.
Name: Mujoo and two unknown
Date of Killing: First week of July 1990
All three were kidnapped and told to donate blood for the wounded terrorists. They agreed for fear of their lives not knowing that they were going to a sudden death. The barbarians drained the entire blood from their bodies till they were dead.
Omkar Nath Raina
Shuban Lal Kullan
Name: M.L. Bhan
Resident of: Ompura, Badgam
Date of Killing: January1990
Pandit Bhan boarded the bus for Srinagar. He was accompanied by his 12 year old son. As the bus was moving two youngman who bad probably already boarded the bus came near Pandit Bhan and placed themselves closer to him. All of a sudden one ot the youths fired two shots at Pandit Bhan. He was shot at his temples. He died instantly. His son was shocked. He wailed and cried for help. But none of the passengers cared to listen to him. Nor did they try to console the little child. They seemed to jeer at the boy. The terrorists asked the driver to stop the bus. As the vehicle stopped, they threw away tbe body and pushed his son out of the bus. He was screaming for help. At last some security forces vehicle happened to pass that way and they lifted the body.
Name: Ashwani Kumar Garyali
Resident of: Chattabal, Srinagar
Date of Killing: 24.6.90
On the fateful day of 24.6.90, Ashwani Kumar was sitting at his home with his friend Ashok Kumar Kotha. In the meantime five gun wielders thronged into his house and pumped five bullets into his chest. After this they shot at his friend Ashok Kumar who died on spot. The martyr Ashwani was then dragged upto the outer gate of the house and his knees were broken. Father of the deceased went to Police Station for getting a vehicle for taking Ashwani to hospital. The SHO at the station taunted the deceased's father by saying, "Should we have got a helicopter for your son? Let him die, I can do nothing." After his return from the Police Station, he found his son lying in a pool of blood with his face deshaped and all the joints of his body broken.
Name: C.L. Pandita
Resident of: Kawoosa Khalisa (District Bodgam)
Date of Killing: 20.5.1990
Chaman Lal Pandita, a teacher was kidnapped on Sunday, May 20, 1990 at 9:15 am. On Monday, he was found dead. Pandita had been hanged to death. But before that he was beaten. His body bore the marks. There was dust even in his nails indicating that he must have struggled. Proviously, Pandita's neighbours had discouraged him from leaving the village. They had promised protection. Some had even gone to the extent to say that they would sacrifice their children to protect the family. But at the time of the need, nobody came forward.
