January in Kashmir – The Month of Massacres

Introduction: Why January Bleeds in Kashmiri Memory

January is not just a period or a time in the consciousness of the history and politics of Kashmir, but a symbol of group trauma and struggle that is ingrained in the collective consciousness. The generation after generation, the month is taking its toll of mass executions, the silence brought by fear, and a point of no return between the Kashmiri people and the Indian state. The January in Kashmir is a focal point where the state force was used to dominate the conflict zones using unrestrained coercion which has created a legacy that still defines political identity and social memory.

The declaration of January being the Month of Massacres in Kashmir is based on a sequence of incidents in which civilian communities, who are mostly unarmed and involved in political activism, were meted with fatal violence. These massacres did not happen accidentally and spontaneously, on the contrary, they were a part of a larger system of militarized rule, emergency laws and suspension of the political processes. January therefore takes a unique position in Kashmiri history because this was the moment when repression was institutionalized and made normal.

In addition to regional memory, the mean of January goes beyond local memory to the international discussions on human rights, state violence, and responsibility. The killings in Kashmir contradict international standards that value the safety of individuals in occupational positions or in occupied territories that are managed by the military. However, even with all the reports provided by journalists, scholars, and human rights organizations, January massacres have hardly featured in the mainstream discourses around the world. The memory of January, then, is not a practice only of mourning but a demand on historical memory and moral responsibility in the world where selective sympathy too often characterizes the international reaction.

Historical Context: Kashmir on the Brink (Late 1989 – Early 1990)

In order to make out the reason behind January being associated with mass violence, one has to put it in the context of the political events of the late 1980s. Jammu and Kashmir had years of political legitimacy crisis which had been characterized by empty promises of autonomy and constitutional protection erosion and systematic interference with election outcomes. The state elections of 1987 which were widely seen as having been rigged was a catalytic event that killed the belief in the mechanisms of democracy and radicalized political opposition.

By 1989, there had broken out mass uprisings in the Valley. What was remarkable about these protests was their magnitude as well as their wide social foundation. Students, traders, working people, women and old citizens took part in protest that expressed needs of political rights and self-determination. Notably, these uprisings were considerably unarmed because they were based on civil disobedience, but not insurgent force.

The reaction of the Indian state was characterized by securitization, and not by political involvement. Militarization of Kashmir has gone in a furious pace with tens of thousands of other troops being deployed. Civilian territories were changed into the security zones, and the everyday life was turned into some surveillance and checkpoints and arbitrary restrictions. Curfews were carried out on a regular basis and in most cases, they were carried through the use of lethal force. Emergency authorities and shoot-at-sight orders made the distinction between law enforcement and warfare indistinct.

The most important result of this growing confrontation was January 1990. It was the stage when the Indian Armed forces stopped any pretentious restraint and the stage of open violence began, which recharacterized the Kashmir conflict.

January 19, 1990 – The Night That Changed Kashmir Forever

The night of January 19, 1990, holds a central position in the memory of Kashmiri people as the night when the fear developed all over the Kashmir. This day marked the date when the government of India declared Governor’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir, annulled the elected state apparatus and gave the power directly to New Delhi. Although this was termed as an administrative necessity, it had direct and dramatic effects on the population.

Indian armed forces carried out massive raids and cordon-and-search operations across the Indian Occupied Kashmir. Households became intimidated, young men arrested in large numbers, and the residential neighbourhoods stormed. Loudspeakers made threats and warnings, which made the atmosphere of siege and went beyond the realm of physical violence to the psychological one. To a majority of Kashmirians, this night was the night when any difference between civilian and military territory had collapsed.

January 19 is not important because of one massacre but because of the symbolic and practical meanings. It marked the making of repression and collective punishment normal. The night broke the illusion of the possibility of political dissent and tolerance of the India. This began to be the case henceforth, violence ceased to be occasional, but structural.

In interviews and individual recollections, January 19 is recalled as a pivotal moment when the ordinary life was changed beyond repair. Children were raised with fear as a normal occurrence and entire communities began to reevaluate their survival based on survival. It was the precursor to the massacres to come after this night, and therefore, it cannot be skipped in the list of the important references in the modern history of Kashmir.

January 21, 1990 – The Gawkadal Massacre

The Gawkadal massacre is one of the most tragic and symbolic ones among the numerous tragedies connected with January. On January 21, 1990, thousands of civilians held a rally in Srinagar against the establishment of Governor-Rule and the violence already carried out and taken lives. The demonstration was non-violent which showed how the people depended on the group rather than terrorist action.

When the procession was passing Gawkadal Bridge, the Indian paramilitary opened fire indiscriminately. First-hand reports indicate that there was prolonged fire on the crowd which brought chaos and panic. Civilians tried to escape, but were hunted down or surrounded. Quite a number were shot at very close range while others had fallen into the icy river Jhelum.

There are different estimates of the number of people who died during this time but the independent sources report it as 50 to more than 100 civilians. The civilian character of the victims: returning students, working people and citizens answering calls to protest, is the point that is not contested. Hospitals were deluged and families were scanned in morgues in what would later be all too familiar scenes in later years.

Gawkadal massacre takes a central position in the Kashmiri historiography since it embodies the logic of repression used at that time. Even with its magnitude and exposure, there has not been a serious legal system that can prosecute offenders. Investigations were either closed-ended or forced into stalemates which encouraged a culture of impunity. Gawkadal is therefore an expression of mass murder, but also the denial of justice in a systematic manner.

January 25, 1990 – The Handwara Massacre

Within days following the Gawkadal, the violence was extended to North Kashmir which highlights the point that the repression that occurred in January 1990 was not just localized but incidental. Another massacre took place on January 25 at the town of Handwara, in Kupwara district, when the security forces discharged fire on the peaceful demonstrators.

The demonstrations in Handwara were more of a reactive nature that were held in reaction to the murders in Srinagar. At least 20 civilians were killed and many others were seriously wounded.

The Handwara incident showed the way the violence of the state strengthened, not silenced, the opposition. The assassinations heightened the level of political awareness in the countryside and peripheral regions spreading the feeling of shared aggrievance to the cities.

January 6, 1993 – The Sopore Massacre

Three years after the mass killings of early 1990, state violence once again manifested itself in Kashmir, underscoring the continued pattern of repression. On January 6, 1993, the town of Sopore in Baramulla district witnessed a brutal massacre when security forces opened fire on civilians. Troops indiscriminately shot at residents and set large parts of the main market ablaze. Dozens of civilians were killed, including women and children, and extensive property damage was inflicted. The Sopore massacre demonstrated how collective punishment had become an entrenched tactic of the state, deepening public alienation and reinforcing the sense of shared suffering across Kashmir. Rather than suppressing dissent, the violence further entrenched resentment and strengthened popular resistance, particularly in rural and commercial centers like Sopore.

Other Documented January Massacres in Kashmir

The above mentioned massacres  were not the only instances of mass violence in January. Several other lesser-known but well-documented killings also took place across Kashmir during the same period. These include the Kupwara Town massacre in January 1990, where Indian paramilitary forces opened fire on civilians during protests, killing an estimated 25–30 people; the killings in Zaloora and Zainageer in the Sopore area in January 1993, where dozens of civilians were reportedly targeted during military operations; the Zakura and Tengpora massacre on 25 January 1990 on the outskirts of Srinagar, where CRPF personnel fired on protesters, killing more than 40 civilians; the Hawal massacre in Srinagar in January 1990, in which paramilitary forces opened fire during demonstrations in the old city, killing over 20 people; the Nawab Bazar killings the same month, where 15–20 civilians were shot during protests and raids; repeated shootings in the Maisuma neighborhood during curfew protests, resulting in dozens of deaths over several days; the firing on funeral and procession crowds in Chattabal, killing approximately 10–15 civilians; and the firing on protesters in Baramulla’s Old Town in early January 1990, which resulted in around 8–12 deaths. Together, these incidents demonstrate that the violence of January was widespread and systematic, extending far beyond a few isolated locations.

Notable Civilian Losses and Collective Martyrdom

The individual deaths were turned into collective memory as one of the longest-lasting outcomes of the January massacres. Several victims were buried without recognition and their names were not listed in the state records. In their turn, the Kashmiri society has been able to save these lives with the help of the very notion of the Shuhada-e-Kashmirmartyrs of the land.

This collective memory has several purposes. It is impervious to erasure, community-forming, and collective memory of past generations. Challenging official silences, oral histories and poetry, and commemorative practices have also become alternative archives.

The absence of memorialization and truth-seeking processes has increased the trauma. Families are mourning with no closure and younger generations can inherit grief and political awareness. Martyrdom in Kashmir, in this respect, is not only symbolic but also exists and practiced intergenerational.

Why January Holds Strategic Importance for Kashmiris

January is a crucial point in the scholarly context as it signified a shift in the course of the conflict; a point where structural repression was converted into mass civilian deaths that changed the direction of the conflict fundamentally.

January has become a month of political awareness. The collective dedication to memory can be seen by annual shutdowns, remembrance prayers, and symbolic protests. These are not the passive rites of a ritual; they are the active demonstrations of historical continuity and political determination.

To Kashmiris, January strengthens their self-determination and international interaction demands. It also connects the sacrifices of the past with those of the present and makes resistance a historical and modern phenomenon. This temporal continuity undermines the situation of narratives which see the conflict as episodic or fading out.

International Silence and the Question of Accountability

The international reactions to the January massacres have been inconsistent and inadequate considering the magnitude of the event. The independent investigations are still unavailable, and mechanisms of accountability did not become reality. Violations have been reported by other human rights groups, and due to geopolitical reasons, there has been a limitation to proper intervention.

Comparing to other massacres renowned in the world, the tragedies of Kashmir are placed on the backburner. Such selective visibility highlights other inequalities in the global system of human rights in which the imperatives of strategy are frequently as important as those of morality. To the Kashmiris, the silence of the international community creates a sense of abandonment and injustice. Accountability is not a mere legal requirement but a transcription to reconciliation and sustainable peace.

Conclusion: Remembering January, Resisting Erasure

January in Kashmir is not just a historical moment, but a communal burn that remains to form identity, politics and memory. The act of remembering is in itself an act of struggle against erasure and denial, against letting mass violence become obscure.

The massacres of January should not be documented by the Kashmiris alone but also by the human rights discourse all over the world.

The tragedy of Kashmir cannot be resolved yet until the events of January are recognized, investigated and solved. Each January therefore comes back not as history in itself, but as a reminder of how things have never been and a refusal to forget as an act of resistance.