Targeted Killing Of Civilians In Kashmir Triggers Fears Of Religion-Based Violence

Family members of Makhan Lal Bindroo, a Hindu chemist killed by militants on Oct. 5, mourn in Srinagar. Photo by Basit Zargar.

Kashmiri militants seeking separate rule from India targeted and killed five people last week, including Hindu and Sikh teachers at their school in Srinagar — the capital — a Kashmiri Muslim taxi driver and a notable Kashmiri Hindu chemist.

The killing of at least five civilians in Kashmir in less than 48 hours has plunged India’s Himalayan territory into grief and anger. On Oct. 11, five Indian soldiers and two militants were killed in gun battles after security forces stepped up in response to the civilian killings, Reuters reported.

The violence reminds some Kashmiris of the early 1990s, when militants warring against New Delhi’s rule targeted Kashmiri Hindus, prompting 300,000 Hindus to flee the area.

Chemist Makhan Lal Bindroo’s daughter Shraddha Bindroo, a professor, told local media gathered that her father was a fighter who always said that he would die with his shoes on.

"I don't have a single tear in my eyes, because he is a fighter," she said.

Bindroo asked the militants to fight with education and words instead of the stones and guns given to them by politicians.

"Whoever is the person who shot my father dead, come before me,” she said. “You have some education? My father gave me education. Politicians gave you guns and stones. You want to fight with guns and stones? That is cowardice. All politicians are using you. Come in front and fight with education.”

Kashmir is claimed fully by both India and Pakistan but ruled in part by each.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir acceded to India at the time of India’s independence in 1947, after which tribals from a mostly Muslim Pakistan invaded and gained control of parts of Kashmir. Nearly 7 million people live in the Kashmir Valley, 97% of them Muslims — making it India’s only Muslim-majority region. About 50,000 people have been killed in conflict in the last three decades, mainly between Indian security forces and Kashmiri militant separatists, according to official figures.

At the school in Srinagar, eyewitnesses said they heard a few gunshots, but by the time people around came in to help, it was too late.

“I heard a lot of noise and some gunshots,” said an eyewitness who was at the school when the incident happened and fears being named. “We were shocked and couldn’t move. We were having tea when the incident happened — the teachers were sitting on the chairs.”

At the Srinagar residence of 47-year-old Supinder Kaur, one of the teachers killed, her family and friends shared memories of her as a noble person and discussed what will happen to her two young children.

“She has two children — what is their fault?” one neighbor said. “She was a noble person who wronged none. There aren’t any security arrangements here. Innocents are being killed in broad daylight. Government is doing nothing.” 

Will civilian deaths trigger migration?

In 2019, the Indian government abolished a constitutional amendment dating back to India’s 1947 independence that granted semi-autonomy to Kashmir within the Indian union.

At the same time, it enforced a massive clampdown and communication ban that shut off the internet and phones for months. Kashmir’s economy suffered a massive blow, with losses continuing as the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged shutdowns.

The fear now is that the civilian deaths coming from the minority community in particular could spread a fresh wave of panic and trigger another mass emigration of non-Muslims from Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh said the recent targetings of civilians in Kashmir are acts of cowardice and barbarity.

“Innocent people serving the society are being targeted,” he said. “This is being done to create an atmosphere of terror and to harm the atmosphere of communal harmony in Kashmir.”

Singh said the police are working on solving the recent murder and terror cases. Indian police believe The Resistance Front, a group with supporters in Pakistan, is responsible for the civilian killings. Singh thinks they are part of a conspiracy to give a bad name to Kashmiri Muslims.

“Terrorists are doing this at the behest of agencies across the border (in Pakistan) to stop the efforts for peace in Kashmir,” he said.

India commonly blames Pakistan for supporting the militancy in Kashmir, while Islamabad denies this and insists its government only diplomatically and morally supports the Kashmiri people.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha said that the Indian government takes responsibility for not being able to prevent recent terror attacks in Kashmir — despite, he said, there being no specific indicator that these attacks would occur.

Zaffar Iqbal is a journalist based in Kashmir, India. He has reported for 18 years on armed encounters, environmental issues, crime, politics, culture and human rights. He’s formerly the bureau chief of Jammu and Kashmir for NDTV.