Kunan Poshpora: 24 years on, justice eludes victims
Justice continues to be a distant dream as the mass rape incident of Kunan Poshpora haunts the victims even after 24 years.
For Parveena (name changed) life has been full of challenges as she has been moving from pillar to post to get justice but all her efforts were futile.
“We all fought in our own ways for past 24 years but justice has been denied to all of us,” she said while narrating her woeful tale on ‘Kashmir Women’s Resistance’ Seminar organised by Support Group for Justice for Kunan Poshpora at Sarah City Mall here on Sunday.
The victims from Kunan Poshpora, present in the seminar broke in tears while narrating the painful incident they faced at the hands of Indian troops two decades ago. Even if the victims are vocal at such occasions but the incident haunts them inside. “We knocked every door to get justice but all in vain. Now the situation has come to a pass where we hesitate to narrate the story. We are being invited to many places to speak about the incident but later its effect fades away in no time,” said one of the victims amid sobs.
Given the government response in providing justice to the victims of Kunan Poshpora incident when Indian troops mass raped the women on February 23, 1991 the victims believe their pleas are treated as trash. “It was our bad luck that we are facing trouble in seeking justice. But we will fight till out last breathe,” the victim said.
Over 30 women were raped by Indian troops in remote village of Kunan Poshpora on February 23, 1991.
A magisterial court in Kupwara had called for re-opening of the case investigations of the incident and identification parade of the alleged Army perpetrators. However the orders of the magistrate were stayed by High Court on January 15 on the urging of Army authorities.
From Police Stations to Judiciary, victims knocked every door to get the Justice but the voices remained unheard in last 24 years. “Our voices have no value in power corridors. We are struggling on basis of the support provided by our own local people,” the victim said.
In past 24 years of struggle many victims died without getting justice while the rest are still optimistic to carry on their fight “We won’t stop here. We will fight till our last breathe.”
The memories of the heinous incident still haunt the victims who are living in the same houses where they were mass raped. “We are not able to come out of this shock. The walls and the corridors of the same houses disturb our minds every moment. Our screams haunt us,” the victim said, adding the big torture for us is when our kids inquire about the incident after they hear about it from other localities.
Shameema (name changed) broke while narrating the scene how she lost the grip of her one year old daughter after she tried to jump from the window of the house. “The army personnel caught hold of me and my daughter fell down after the army personnel tried to rape her forcibly. “My daughter grew up as handicapped. She always inquires for her being handicapped,” she said.
Like Shameema (name changed), Tahira has been searching for her husband from 2003 after he was taken by army personnel during a crackdown in Baramulla area. “I have suffered in these 13 years but I didn’t give up. I worked as a maid and did other jobs to earn livelihood for my two daughters,” she said. Tahira has been regularly joining the protests with APDP for the past many years. “After joining APDP I came to know that I am not alone but hundreds of people are like me,” she added.
Even if the victims of the incidents like mass rape in Kunan Poshpora, disappearances and custodial killings have lost their hope of getting justice, the courage inside them to fight is alive.
