The 1998 Wandhama massacre refers to the killings of 23 Kashmiri Hindus in the town of Wandhama in the Ganderbal District of Jammu and Kashmir, India on 25 January, 1998. The massacre was carried out by the militant outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. The victims included four children and nine women.
The massacre
According to the testimony of a survivor, the gunmen came to their house dressed like Indian Army soldiers. After a brief conversation, they rounded up all the members of the Hindu households and then summarily gunned them down with Kalashnikov rifles.
Perpetrators
The Indian government has proved the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba for carrying out the massacre. Gada was subsequently killed by Indian security forces in 2000.
Aftermath
The day after the incident, agitating Kashmiri Hindus clashed with police in New Delhi, broke barricades and tried to force their way to the National Human Rights Commission. At least 11 protesters were injured in the clashes.
Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral joined the mourners in Wandhama on 28 January, accompanied by Governor K. V. Krishna Rao, Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, and Union Minister for Environment Saifuddin Soz. Gujral said:
There were also protests in several refugee camps where Kashmiri Hindus had been living since their exodus in 1990.
See also
- List of terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir
- 2003 Nadimarg massacre
- 1998 Prankote massacre
- Chittisinghpura massacre, another massacre in Kashmir where perpetrators wore Indian Army uniforms
- List of massacres in India