Despite passing of 27 years, justice continues to elude the victims of Kunan-Poshpora mass rape.
“Promises of probes and reopening of the case is just an eye wash. Successive regimes, NGOs, human rights commissions and other voluntary groups have also failed to get the culprits punished. They come every year on 23rd February, click our pictures and cash on our tragedy” the victims said.
“We are seeing all this from past 27 years and everyone has failed to provide us justice. Our fears that the Army and other agencies would not cooperate into the case and the accused soldiers are not traceable, proved true,” they said.
“Our hopes of getting justice are diminishing with passing of each day. We don’t think we will get justice as everyone including our own Kashmiri people have forgotten us” the victims said.
“It seems that the investigating agencies have hushed up the case. This is why accused army men are free.
We don’t want money but stringent punishment to the accused soldiers,” said the locals.
On the night of 23rd February 23, personnel of the 4 Rajputana Rifles of the Army cordoned off the two villages Kunan and Poshpora in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district during a search operation. “They raped at least 40 women after pulling residents from their homes and torturing men,” the locals alleged.
“Several victims have died during the past 27 years due to “psychological disorders from the stigma of rape. Others are living in a pathetic condition as they are not able to get proper treatment,” said relative of a victim.