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Do you Remember Kunan Poshpora?: The Story of a Mass Rape
On a cold February night in 1991, a group of soldiers and officers of the Indian army stormed into two villages in Kashmir, seeking out militants assumed to be hiding there. Incensed at the villagers’ refusal to share any information, soldiers pulled residents from their homes, torturing men and raping women. According to village accounts, as many as thirty-one women were raped. The Indian army initially carried out cursory investigations before shelving the case without explanation. Kunan and Poshpora have since become known as the villages of raped women, and their residents have found it difficult to escape this stigma.
Then in 2012, the rape and murder of a young medical student in Delhi galvanized a protest movement so widespread and deep that it reached far beyond India’s borders. In Kashmir, a group of young women, all in their twenties, were inspired to reopen the Kunan-Poshpora case and revisit their history and that of the 1991 survivors. Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? is a personal account of their journey, examining questions of justice, stigma, state responsibility, and the long-term impacts of trauma. With rarely heard voices and concerns, this book gives readers an opportunity to know the lives of ordinary Kashmiris in a state suffocated by thirty years of military rule.
Then in 2012, the rape and murder of a young medical student in Delhi galvanized a protest movement so widespread and deep that it reached far beyond India’s borders. In Kashmir, a group of young women, all in their twenties, were inspired to reopen the Kunan-Poshpora case and revisit their history and that of the 1991 survivors. Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? is a personal account of their journey, examining questions of justice, stigma, state responsibility, and the long-term impacts of trauma. With rarely heard voices and concerns, this book gives readers an opportunity to know the lives of ordinary Kashmiris in a state suffocated by thirty years of military rule.
180 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2015
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February 21, 2018It is a hard book to read. I had to put it away every few pages and breathe. I'd recommend that all of us Indians read it, especially those who have an opinion on Kashmir.
February 11, 2017
To live in India and not know of the atrocities done against its own people by the State, to live in India and not to hear about the violence and rapes committed by Indian army to the women of Manipur or Kashmir, to live as a proud citizen of this "largest democracy" and continue to believe in One India - this book has exposed to me my privileged and ignorant life as an Indian.
This book is a work of resistance by Kashmiri women against all oppression they undergo in everyday life. This is them saying we are not mere victims or survivors, but fighters who have made the language of resistance mother tongue. The book looks into the many ways the cultural, legal, social norms enable the State to grant impunity to the criminals and silence any demand for justice for the victims. It shows how the State has used erasure of memories of human rights violations or overwriting such memories with an equally gruesome offense as a tool of oppression in the valley throughout.
Public memory is fragile, especially in zones. This book is the women's resistance to State led erasure of memory, their voicing of the manifold oppression under patriarchy and occupation. This is their answer "To someone asking why we’re accusing the Indian armed forces when Kashmiri men in their position might do the exact same thing, we are tempted to say, try and talk back to someone, the muzzle of whose gun is staring at the tiny space between your eyes."
I will remember that on February 23, 1991 in the twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora at least 31 Kashmiri women were brutally raped by the Indian Army. No justice has come to them, they are still being asked to forget and remain silent.
This book is a work of resistance by Kashmiri women against all oppression they undergo in everyday life. This is them saying we are not mere victims or survivors, but fighters who have made the language of resistance mother tongue. The book looks into the many ways the cultural, legal, social norms enable the State to grant impunity to the criminals and silence any demand for justice for the victims. It shows how the State has used erasure of memories of human rights violations or overwriting such memories with an equally gruesome offense as a tool of oppression in the valley throughout.
Public memory is fragile, especially in zones. This book is the women's resistance to State led erasure of memory, their voicing of the manifold oppression under patriarchy and occupation. This is their answer "To someone asking why we’re accusing the Indian armed forces when Kashmiri men in their position might do the exact same thing, we are tempted to say, try and talk back to someone, the muzzle of whose gun is staring at the tiny space between your eyes."
I will remember that on February 23, 1991 in the twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora at least 31 Kashmiri women were brutally raped by the Indian Army. No justice has come to them, they are still being asked to forget and remain silent.
April 7, 2016
I read this book curious about the situation in Kashmir which came into my focus with the recent protests in New Delhi and its consequences. Northeast India has its own share of problems with the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and I wanted to know Kashmir's story too. I knew it would be a tough one. There were parts where I just felt dizzy from the description of the intensity of the pain and trauma ( I feel these words under describe that suffering) that the people had to go through. The victims are still waiting for judicial resolution. How can any judiciary resolve a such a horrific planned assault on not just lives of the people who were attacked but their entire future lies ostracised due to this extremely evil act which affects the later generations too? A pregnant victim delivers a baby with a fractured arm, many women died of bleeding that never stopped, even a child with polio was not spared . Besides these, the men were also brutally tortured. The repercussions of this fateful night haunt them till today. I urge more people to read their story. Even if the law keeps avoiding to answer the wrongs done to them, we owe them at least, our solidarity and to know their story.
June 14, 2016
"Remembrance is ours"
The most striking part about this book was its brutal honesty. Having personally interacted with the authors at a book release organised with the alternative law forum in Bangalore, I can safely say that the blood and tears that have gone into this book are tremendous.
Eye - opening post 1984- society book.
(Not to mention rage inducing)
Must read.
The most striking part about this book was its brutal honesty. Having personally interacted with the authors at a book release organised with the alternative law forum in Bangalore, I can safely say that the blood and tears that have gone into this book are tremendous.
Eye - opening post 1984- society book.
(Not to mention rage inducing)
Must read.
October 12, 2016
Read this if you consider yourself to be a human being.
February 6, 2017
I read this book after reading "Our moon has bloodclots" , so I had some background knowledge about the how and why of Kashmir's situation, starting from dogra rule, the kashmiri pandit exodus to the current AFSPA.
To say the least, the events of that night were barbaric and what was worse, these survivors were implicated as liars. The book traces their 25 years long journey for justice.
The reason I was not satisfied with the book is because as a book, it come across as immature. The writing is shoddy and often repetitive. Post reading the preface, all that was there to know about the case, I knew already. I couldn't help but point out the times the authors were contradicting themselves. The only inspiring bits were the parts taken from other journalists/authors writings. The part where the 5 authors introduce themselves , I was hoping there would be more. Plus, the single minded vengeful tone against Indian state and Indian army was putting off, they could have added about the efforts put by them in changing the mindset of kashmir society about these villages. That would have added a nice balance to the book.
To say the least, the events of that night were barbaric and what was worse, these survivors were implicated as liars. The book traces their 25 years long journey for justice.
The reason I was not satisfied with the book is because as a book, it come across as immature. The writing is shoddy and often repetitive. Post reading the preface, all that was there to know about the case, I knew already. I couldn't help but point out the times the authors were contradicting themselves. The only inspiring bits were the parts taken from other journalists/authors writings. The part where the 5 authors introduce themselves , I was hoping there would be more. Plus, the single minded vengeful tone against Indian state and Indian army was putting off, they could have added about the efforts put by them in changing the mindset of kashmir society about these villages. That would have added a nice balance to the book.
October 22, 2020
This book was gifted to me by one of my senior who has read a lot of literature which is based on Kashmir. This book is all about the sad incident which occurred in the dreadful night where rights were violated of large numbers of women and they were subjected to the cruelty of extreme nature.
The trial and related legal proceeding are still sub-judice in the court which itself is violating the rights of many victims.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know the other side of Kashmir which we rarely hear from the mainstream media.
The trial and related legal proceeding are still sub-judice in the court which itself is violating the rights of many victims.
This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to know the other side of Kashmir which we rarely hear from the mainstream media.
June 27, 2019
Chilling tale of oppression!
The humanity is forgotten for an agenda or part of a strategy. Any situation should not give impunity for crimes and specially crimes on your own countrymen.
An incident without accountability and hence should never be forgotten.
The humanity is forgotten for an agenda or part of a strategy. Any situation should not give impunity for crimes and specially crimes on your own countrymen.
An incident without accountability and hence should never be forgotten.
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May 29, 2021Not giving the books any stars because I don't think I'm capable of doing that.
My opinions, I'm sure, are a little biased.
I come from a family of martyrs and currently serving soldiers. Having grown up in the safe environment of cantonments, my opinions of this book are bound to be a tad bit biased.
To be honest, this book was, to an extent, an eye-opener for me. Only, I hated the generalization. I, by any means, am not saying the Indian Army is holy and pure and all that. Any organization is wrong where it's wrong and deserved to be called out for any sort of wrongness they do. But, reading this book just made me think that every single soldier in Kashmir eyed girls with bad intentions. Which, as a matter of fact, I know, is not true.
As for Kunan Poshpora incident, the work done by the authors is commendable.
One things that got to my nerves, was disregarding the whole organization as a whole. I mean, 5 out of the 10 men are poop. I can take that. But 4 out of the rest 5 did save Kashmiris from floods. So you know, disrespecting the whole organization as a whole was a turn down for me, personally.
But the sheer amount of passion and energy the women have put in this book is mind blowing for sure.
Many such atrocities have been committed and concealed. The efforts to bring them into notice is commendable.
There is no black and white to this issue. Kashmiris have been suffering, and there's no denying that. And more than anything, they deserve justice and truth. Their sacrifices deserve to be acknowledged. They've been wronged by the country time and again. And they deserve freedom.
However, not every armyman is wrong.
I don't know how to end this review, because I'm still trying to figure out how I feel, and what I feel, after reading this book.
Just wanted to appreciate the efforts, passion and sheer energy of the authors.
My opinions, I'm sure, are a little biased.
I come from a family of martyrs and currently serving soldiers. Having grown up in the safe environment of cantonments, my opinions of this book are bound to be a tad bit biased.
To be honest, this book was, to an extent, an eye-opener for me. Only, I hated the generalization. I, by any means, am not saying the Indian Army is holy and pure and all that. Any organization is wrong where it's wrong and deserved to be called out for any sort of wrongness they do. But, reading this book just made me think that every single soldier in Kashmir eyed girls with bad intentions. Which, as a matter of fact, I know, is not true.
As for Kunan Poshpora incident, the work done by the authors is commendable.
One things that got to my nerves, was disregarding the whole organization as a whole. I mean, 5 out of the 10 men are poop. I can take that. But 4 out of the rest 5 did save Kashmiris from floods. So you know, disrespecting the whole organization as a whole was a turn down for me, personally.
But the sheer amount of passion and energy the women have put in this book is mind blowing for sure.
Many such atrocities have been committed and concealed. The efforts to bring them into notice is commendable.
There is no black and white to this issue. Kashmiris have been suffering, and there's no denying that. And more than anything, they deserve justice and truth. Their sacrifices deserve to be acknowledged. They've been wronged by the country time and again. And they deserve freedom.
However, not every armyman is wrong.
I don't know how to end this review, because I'm still trying to figure out how I feel, and what I feel, after reading this book.
Just wanted to appreciate the efforts, passion and sheer energy of the authors.
July 31, 2016
Please read this book, it is important to know and the following review contains spoilers.
It's the same sordid tale everywhere. Be it Kashmir or the ominously sounding LWE (Left wing extremism) areas or the NE states, or for that matter, anywhere, women are always spoils of the war. This theme has repeated itself time and again. The manifestation may be different, but the substance always remains the same. Rape, murder, abduction, sudden disappearance - never to return again, encounters; all these are varying methods of torture honed and perfected by army men in Kashmir and NE states. Few months back, I read 'Blood On My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters' by Kishalaya Bhattacharya, which chronicle the methodical ways to kill a person and then label him as a militant. The underlying message always remains clear: raise a voice and be prepared to be shut. Terrorizing people has always been a technique to silence dissent. Oppression has always been a tool to pay deaf ear to inconvenient grievances.
On 23rd February of 1991, two adjacent villages - Kunan and Poshpora - in Kupwara district of Kashmir, very close to the LoC, were ravaged by 125 men from 4th Rajputana Rifles of the Indian army. Disguised as a 'search and cordon' procedure, locally known as crackdown, the army descended on the villagers in the chilly cold night and mass raped around 50 women, while torturing the men in nearby makeshift chambers. Nobody was spared, neither 17 nor 70. The methods of torture for men were hardly ingenuous:
1) Standing on icy ground, barefoot,
2) Giving electric shock in private parts,
3) Putting chili powder in ice-cold water and forcing to keep head and mouth in the bucket.
4) Usual beating with lathi/guns.
For women it was plain and simple. Gang rape. Around 6-8 persons took turns on one woman. Grandmothers were raped in the same room with their grandchildren. A 9 months pregnant woman was raped and after 3 days, she gave birth to a child, born with fractured arm. Alcohol was used to keep senses at bay (although one can protest about using the word 'sense'). The entire saga was done while the cordon was in full effect, thereby giving no one a chance to peek at the macabre happenings inside.
The rest of the story is also plain and simple. There was no proper investigation, bar one from Deputy Commissioner SM Yasin, which was also scuttled and the case was closed as 'untraced'. Kashmir abounds with such untraced cases. In 2013, few young Kashmiri women who didn't know each other, united in their sense of anger and pain, came under a coalition called 'Kunan Poshpora Support Group' (KPSG), under the aegis of 'Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society' (JKCCS) and started to file RTIs (Right to Information) and visit Kunan and Poshpora to learn/interview from the victims and survivors of the gang rape. The women filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in the High Court only to see it being dismissed as premature. The next stop was a district court in Kupwara and then it came back to the High Court. The road to justice is unbelievably thorny in world's largest democracy and when the state is against you, it can do nothing and yet wear and tear down the opponent.
The case is still unresolved, justice is an elusive dream and the young authors/litigants are fully aware. What is the hue and cry then? The legal battle and now the book that I hold in my hand, are ode to remembrance. A specimen of the defiant human quality, known as resistance.
Do I know Kunan Poshpora? No. Will I remember these two villages and follow this battle? Yes.
That is all this book aims and wishes for. Plain and simple.
It's the same sordid tale everywhere. Be it Kashmir or the ominously sounding LWE (Left wing extremism) areas or the NE states, or for that matter, anywhere, women are always spoils of the war. This theme has repeated itself time and again. The manifestation may be different, but the substance always remains the same. Rape, murder, abduction, sudden disappearance - never to return again, encounters; all these are varying methods of torture honed and perfected by army men in Kashmir and NE states. Few months back, I read 'Blood On My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters' by Kishalaya Bhattacharya, which chronicle the methodical ways to kill a person and then label him as a militant. The underlying message always remains clear: raise a voice and be prepared to be shut. Terrorizing people has always been a technique to silence dissent. Oppression has always been a tool to pay deaf ear to inconvenient grievances.
On 23rd February of 1991, two adjacent villages - Kunan and Poshpora - in Kupwara district of Kashmir, very close to the LoC, were ravaged by 125 men from 4th Rajputana Rifles of the Indian army. Disguised as a 'search and cordon' procedure, locally known as crackdown, the army descended on the villagers in the chilly cold night and mass raped around 50 women, while torturing the men in nearby makeshift chambers. Nobody was spared, neither 17 nor 70. The methods of torture for men were hardly ingenuous:
1) Standing on icy ground, barefoot,
2) Giving electric shock in private parts,
3) Putting chili powder in ice-cold water and forcing to keep head and mouth in the bucket.
4) Usual beating with lathi/guns.
For women it was plain and simple. Gang rape. Around 6-8 persons took turns on one woman. Grandmothers were raped in the same room with their grandchildren. A 9 months pregnant woman was raped and after 3 days, she gave birth to a child, born with fractured arm. Alcohol was used to keep senses at bay (although one can protest about using the word 'sense'). The entire saga was done while the cordon was in full effect, thereby giving no one a chance to peek at the macabre happenings inside.
The rest of the story is also plain and simple. There was no proper investigation, bar one from Deputy Commissioner SM Yasin, which was also scuttled and the case was closed as 'untraced'. Kashmir abounds with such untraced cases. In 2013, few young Kashmiri women who didn't know each other, united in their sense of anger and pain, came under a coalition called 'Kunan Poshpora Support Group' (KPSG), under the aegis of 'Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society' (JKCCS) and started to file RTIs (Right to Information) and visit Kunan and Poshpora to learn/interview from the victims and survivors of the gang rape. The women filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in the High Court only to see it being dismissed as premature. The next stop was a district court in Kupwara and then it came back to the High Court. The road to justice is unbelievably thorny in world's largest democracy and when the state is against you, it can do nothing and yet wear and tear down the opponent.
The case is still unresolved, justice is an elusive dream and the young authors/litigants are fully aware. What is the hue and cry then? The legal battle and now the book that I hold in my hand, are ode to remembrance. A specimen of the defiant human quality, known as resistance.
Do I know Kunan Poshpora? No. Will I remember these two villages and follow this battle? Yes.
That is all this book aims and wishes for. Plain and simple.
Read
November 27, 2022𝙸𝚗 𝙹𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙺𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚒𝚛, 𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚢, 𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚊 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 ����𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖.
This is an account of the atrocity committed by Armed Force on a cold February night in 1991. They pushed their way into two villages - Kunan and Poshpora; tortured the men and raped the women.
31 years after that night, there's no justice not even acknowledgment neither by the government nor by Armed Force.
5 honest, brave and conscious women took the decision to support and seek justice for 31 women who were raped that night.
They drove down to those villages, spoke to the surviving women, re-searched, interviewed the witnesses, re-opened the case and are still fighting.
This book shattered me, for a long time i couldn't believe it happened, i couldn't decipher the motive of the incident and most of it, i was aghast to know the identity of culprits - Indian Armed Force!!
First, was just being a kashmiri and belonging to a border village is enough for such heinous crime ?
Second, on whose orders was it carried out? Officials, Bureaucrats, Politicians? and on what Basis? Actually, there's no basis. Arresting is tolerable but who gave these uniformed men the right to torture men and rape 31 women. UNIFORMED MEN !!! the same men we feel safe with, girls crush over and dream of dating/marrying one.
Third, we ask kashmiris to believe on Indian Army, politicians and provide support in solving the "problem" but when the time arrives, we do not even acknowledge their presence or support their cause.
The stories of these men and women are horrifying and unbelievable but the irony is, it did happen!
They are scarred for life because what happened, the sort of humiliation they face, constant denial by the authorities on the narratives and no trial/punishment on the culprits.
OUTSTANDING, THOUGHT PROVOKING & AUTHENTIC Writing!
Read it for the people of Kashmir, to know their story, to learn the truth and to understand their apathy and fear. Merely visiting a place, integrating songs on beautiful views on instagram and watching movies is not enough, we need to know about these incidents as well because this is the reality, listen to it, bear it and face it.
This is an account of the atrocity committed by Armed Force on a cold February night in 1991. They pushed their way into two villages - Kunan and Poshpora; tortured the men and raped the women.
31 years after that night, there's no justice not even acknowledgment neither by the government nor by Armed Force.
5 honest, brave and conscious women took the decision to support and seek justice for 31 women who were raped that night.
They drove down to those villages, spoke to the surviving women, re-searched, interviewed the witnesses, re-opened the case and are still fighting.
This book shattered me, for a long time i couldn't believe it happened, i couldn't decipher the motive of the incident and most of it, i was aghast to know the identity of culprits - Indian Armed Force!!
First, was just being a kashmiri and belonging to a border village is enough for such heinous crime ?
Second, on whose orders was it carried out? Officials, Bureaucrats, Politicians? and on what Basis? Actually, there's no basis. Arresting is tolerable but who gave these uniformed men the right to torture men and rape 31 women. UNIFORMED MEN !!! the same men we feel safe with, girls crush over and dream of dating/marrying one.
Third, we ask kashmiris to believe on Indian Army, politicians and provide support in solving the "problem" but when the time arrives, we do not even acknowledge their presence or support their cause.
The stories of these men and women are horrifying and unbelievable but the irony is, it did happen!
They are scarred for life because what happened, the sort of humiliation they face, constant denial by the authorities on the narratives and no trial/punishment on the culprits.
OUTSTANDING, THOUGHT PROVOKING & AUTHENTIC Writing!
Read it for the people of Kashmir, to know their story, to learn the truth and to understand their apathy and fear. Merely visiting a place, integrating songs on beautiful views on instagram and watching movies is not enough, we need to know about these incidents as well because this is the reality, listen to it, bear it and face it.
November 24, 2016
It's never just black or white.
This is the first time I am reading about the "other" side of the story. This book reinforces the fact that there are Grey areas which need to be understood well before arriving at any conclusions. To be able to solve the Kashmir problem, we have to first admit that there is a problem, and this book helps one step towards that admission, if nothing else. It's a book that makes you question and wonder if things really are how they look like. In the age of manufactured goods, opinions and consensus, truth has become the casualty. This book brings home that point. Really well.
This is the first time I am reading about the "other" side of the story. This book reinforces the fact that there are Grey areas which need to be understood well before arriving at any conclusions. To be able to solve the Kashmir problem, we have to first admit that there is a problem, and this book helps one step towards that admission, if nothing else. It's a book that makes you question and wonder if things really are how they look like. In the age of manufactured goods, opinions and consensus, truth has become the casualty. This book brings home that point. Really well.
March 12, 2025
It feels nice to have your eyes opened.
Read
September 11, 2020Seems unrealistic and IA projected in very very bad light. Dont know the truth but still could have been better written.
Hope someday we get one book to project armys point of view.
No stars given
Hope someday we get one book to project armys point of view.
No stars given
July 9, 2019
An undoubtedly important and necessary book. It could have done with much better structuring and editing.
January 14, 2017
'The book spans, traverses and tracks a long passage of time - 24 years - during which the truth of the mass rape of women and the brutal sexual torture of men in the twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora by soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces, was sought to be distorted, denied or buried by the Indian state and its many agencies.'
The story of systemic use of sexual violence to control the society and continuous denial of justice by the Indian state makes me hopeless. Social trauma faced by the survivors and their coming generations from their own society even today is heart breaking.
But amidst all this, there is something that is giving courage to women and men in Kunan and Poshpora, and all their supporters, to not accept the status quo and fight this never-ending battle for justice. Truly inspirational!
The story of systemic use of sexual violence to control the society and continuous denial of justice by the Indian state makes me hopeless. Social trauma faced by the survivors and their coming generations from their own society even today is heart breaking.
But amidst all this, there is something that is giving courage to women and men in Kunan and Poshpora, and all their supporters, to not accept the status quo and fight this never-ending battle for justice. Truly inspirational!
November 5, 2020
A coin has two sides, similarly every story has got two sides. Kashmir is a place with infinite scars because of its political imbalance this is yet another piece which shows the height of attrocity . This very act shook the entire place and it still does. It shows how the victims of the sexual violence were called perpetrators, this shows what is Kashmir to the so called largest democratic country "JUST A PIECE OF LAND"
October 28, 2016
It was quite shocking, as an Indian, to learn that the Indian army subjected men to brutal torture and gang raped women as young as 13 and also as old as 80 of two villages in Kashmir. A book that should not be missed.
June 21, 2017
a meticulously researched account of a brutality unheard of .
August 31, 2019
Fuck the Indian Army. Fuck the Government of India. Fuck the judiciary. Fuck the Press Council of India. Fuck Maniratnam.
January 8, 2021
Finished reading: Do you remember Kunan Poshpora? by Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Samreena Mushtaq, Munaza Rashid and Natasha Rather.
In Kashmir, justice is a hard thing to find.
On a cold February night in 1991, a group of soldiers and officers of the Indian Army 4 Rajputana Rifles, 68 Mountain Brigade, pushed their way into two villages in Kashmir, seeking out militants assumed to be hiding there. They pulled the men out of their homes and subjected the men to torture, and the women to rape. The legal quest for justice has been futile, with the perpetrators going scot-free with the support of the police, the state, and the army.
In 2012, the nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a medical student in Delhi inspired a group of young women in Kashmir to file a PIL re-open the Kunan-Poshpora case. This book examines the events of that night, the fight for justice, and the culture of oppression that breeds impunity.
The book establishes without a doubt that pre-meditated mass rape of almost 40 women happened that night, along with physical and sexual torture of the men, who were separated from the women and taken to the village school for "interrogation". One of the women was pregnant and delivered a handicapped child, one had just given birth to a child, one was 70 years old, and minors weren't spared either. Many mothers did not name their minor girls in the FIR to safeguard their future. The barbarity of this act leaves the reader choking with rage and humiliation. Despite overwhelming evidence, medical reports, and repeated testimonies by the victims, the case has dragged on for more than 20 years, with delay tactics, shoddy investigations, rejected petitions, and orchestrated cover-ups, including painting the victims as militancy supporters who are just "hungry for compensation".
The social stigma that these villagers have faced, not just restricted to the victims, but their future generations as well, is mind numbing - many children have been forced to drop out of school because of constant taunts of "daughters and sons of raped women". The repeated efforts of the traumatized villagers to get justice have been in vain, with a few small victories when the state acknowledged that compensation must be paid to the victims. However, the army officials responsible have never been questioned, never been called to court, and have practically gotten away with their excesses under acts such as AFSPA, which grant impunity to the armed forces.
The book questions the silence around the atrocities committed by the armed forces, the impunity they are granted, the silence of the media, and the continued oppression of Kashmiris by the government. Read it to know the untold truth of Kashmiris under a military occupation, and how they resist every day of their lives.
In Kashmir, justice is a hard thing to find.
P.S. This book could have done with better structuring, it did seem a bit all over the place, but was easy to overlook because of the subject matter.
In Kashmir, justice is a hard thing to find.
On a cold February night in 1991, a group of soldiers and officers of the Indian Army 4 Rajputana Rifles, 68 Mountain Brigade, pushed their way into two villages in Kashmir, seeking out militants assumed to be hiding there. They pulled the men out of their homes and subjected the men to torture, and the women to rape. The legal quest for justice has been futile, with the perpetrators going scot-free with the support of the police, the state, and the army.
In 2012, the nationwide protests against the rape and murder of a medical student in Delhi inspired a group of young women in Kashmir to file a PIL re-open the Kunan-Poshpora case. This book examines the events of that night, the fight for justice, and the culture of oppression that breeds impunity.
The book establishes without a doubt that pre-meditated mass rape of almost 40 women happened that night, along with physical and sexual torture of the men, who were separated from the women and taken to the village school for "interrogation". One of the women was pregnant and delivered a handicapped child, one had just given birth to a child, one was 70 years old, and minors weren't spared either. Many mothers did not name their minor girls in the FIR to safeguard their future. The barbarity of this act leaves the reader choking with rage and humiliation. Despite overwhelming evidence, medical reports, and repeated testimonies by the victims, the case has dragged on for more than 20 years, with delay tactics, shoddy investigations, rejected petitions, and orchestrated cover-ups, including painting the victims as militancy supporters who are just "hungry for compensation".
The social stigma that these villagers have faced, not just restricted to the victims, but their future generations as well, is mind numbing - many children have been forced to drop out of school because of constant taunts of "daughters and sons of raped women". The repeated efforts of the traumatized villagers to get justice have been in vain, with a few small victories when the state acknowledged that compensation must be paid to the victims. However, the army officials responsible have never been questioned, never been called to court, and have practically gotten away with their excesses under acts such as AFSPA, which grant impunity to the armed forces.
The book questions the silence around the atrocities committed by the armed forces, the impunity they are granted, the silence of the media, and the continued oppression of Kashmiris by the government. Read it to know the untold truth of Kashmiris under a military occupation, and how they resist every day of their lives.
In Kashmir, justice is a hard thing to find.
P.S. This book could have done with better structuring, it did seem a bit all over the place, but was easy to overlook because of the subject matter.
September 9, 2021
"We have had lullabies of bullets drifting us to sleep, the smell of blood waking us up, fear keeping us busy and hope keeping us alive."
This books demands to be felt, not just read.
Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? is a 2016 non-fiction book authored by five Kashmiri women : Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Munaza Rashid, Natasha Rather and Samreena Mushtaq.
On the freezing night of 23rd February, 1991 a group of soliders and officers of the Indian army stormed into the villages of Kunan and Poshpara, in the Kupwara district of Kashmir under the pretense of seeking out militants assumed to be hiding there. The men were forcibly separated from their households and taken to interrogation centres where they were subjected uncalled for brutalities. The women were forced to remain behind while the army personnel disrupted their homes and ravished them throughout the night. As per village accounts, as many as 32 women were gang-raped for hours at a stretch, with not even pregnant women, elders or teenagers being spared. Due to the rising dissent throughout the valley, the Indian army was forced to carry out cursory investigations prior to shelving the case as "untraced".
In 2012, when the rape and murder of a young medical student in Delhi stimulated a nationwide protest movement, a group of young women in Kashmir were inspired to reopen the Kunan-Poshpora case. Why is rape unforgivable in India but so easily forgiven and forgotten in Kashmir?
The book is a personal account of the incredible journey of the authors, raising questions of justice, stigma, the long term impacts of trauma and ofcourse the impunity enjoyed by the armed forces in Kashmir.
On one hand, it is the tale of brutalities and assault on the part of the military officers and on the other, the tale of the indomitable spirit and resilience of the survivors who are willing to fight for justice, decades after that fateful night.
If I begin to pen down my thoughts on Kashmir and the sufferings of its people due to the stubbornness on the part of the Indian government to let it go, the space here wouldn't suffice. Sadly, most of the people I know are of the opinion "Kashmir humara hain." (Kashmir is ours). If only we realise that Kashmir only belongs to it's people, Kashmir is a real place with real people and not an entity to be owned by us, we would understand how significant it is that the people of Kashmir be granted the plebiscite that has been long overdue.
All I can do is hope that one day India has a government that is able to put humanity over politics. Till then all I can say is:
Yes, I do remember Kunan Poshpara. Kunan Poshpara will never be forgotten.
This books demands to be felt, not just read.
Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? is a 2016 non-fiction book authored by five Kashmiri women : Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Munaza Rashid, Natasha Rather and Samreena Mushtaq.
On the freezing night of 23rd February, 1991 a group of soliders and officers of the Indian army stormed into the villages of Kunan and Poshpara, in the Kupwara district of Kashmir under the pretense of seeking out militants assumed to be hiding there. The men were forcibly separated from their households and taken to interrogation centres where they were subjected uncalled for brutalities. The women were forced to remain behind while the army personnel disrupted their homes and ravished them throughout the night. As per village accounts, as many as 32 women were gang-raped for hours at a stretch, with not even pregnant women, elders or teenagers being spared. Due to the rising dissent throughout the valley, the Indian army was forced to carry out cursory investigations prior to shelving the case as "untraced".
In 2012, when the rape and murder of a young medical student in Delhi stimulated a nationwide protest movement, a group of young women in Kashmir were inspired to reopen the Kunan-Poshpora case. Why is rape unforgivable in India but so easily forgiven and forgotten in Kashmir?
The book is a personal account of the incredible journey of the authors, raising questions of justice, stigma, the long term impacts of trauma and ofcourse the impunity enjoyed by the armed forces in Kashmir.
On one hand, it is the tale of brutalities and assault on the part of the military officers and on the other, the tale of the indomitable spirit and resilience of the survivors who are willing to fight for justice, decades after that fateful night.
If I begin to pen down my thoughts on Kashmir and the sufferings of its people due to the stubbornness on the part of the Indian government to let it go, the space here wouldn't suffice. Sadly, most of the people I know are of the opinion "Kashmir humara hain." (Kashmir is ours). If only we realise that Kashmir only belongs to it's people, Kashmir is a real place with real people and not an entity to be owned by us, we would understand how significant it is that the people of Kashmir be granted the plebiscite that has been long overdue.
All I can do is hope that one day India has a government that is able to put humanity over politics. Till then all I can say is:
Yes, I do remember Kunan Poshpara. Kunan Poshpara will never be forgotten.
March 26, 2023
For Women’s History Month, I picked this non-fictional account of an alleged mass rape committed by the Indian Army on the women of the Kashmiri twin villages of Kunan-Poshpora.
The book begins by discussing about how rape is used as a tool to quell resistance, or to even prevent resistance, how women are the worst affected populace whenever an area or a community is in conflict with another.
It goes on to explain in detail about the incidents that unfolded on the night of 23rd February 1991 through victim testimonies. It gradually progresses onto the proceedings after the mass rape, where there is significant pushback and coordinated attempts by the state to cover up the heinous acts committed by the Indian Army that night, giving them full impunity by all means possible - denial, delay and delusion.
The book is written with the joint effort of 5 young women who got inspired by the outrage against the 2012 Delhi gangrape case and decided to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to rehash the memory of the incident that was closed as untraced without proper investigation.
The book also explores the themes of delaying justice, stigma and societal behavior towards rape victims, responsibilities of the state, and the long term impacts of trauma.
What I loved the most is one of the ending chapters, where Samreena (one of the authors) says that they filed the PIL not in the hope of delivering justice to the victims, but to make it known to the state and others involved in obfuscating the facts, that these women will not be forgotten, and that their struggle is about developing a culture of resistance, where they will not remain silent in the face of injustice.
Sharing my favorite lines from the book - “The oppressor has become strong because the oppressed aren’t talking about it. And demanding justice isn’t something to be afraid of, even if you are seeking it from the most unjust of occupiers.”
The book begins by discussing about how rape is used as a tool to quell resistance, or to even prevent resistance, how women are the worst affected populace whenever an area or a community is in conflict with another.
It goes on to explain in detail about the incidents that unfolded on the night of 23rd February 1991 through victim testimonies. It gradually progresses onto the proceedings after the mass rape, where there is significant pushback and coordinated attempts by the state to cover up the heinous acts committed by the Indian Army that night, giving them full impunity by all means possible - denial, delay and delusion.
The book is written with the joint effort of 5 young women who got inspired by the outrage against the 2012 Delhi gangrape case and decided to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to rehash the memory of the incident that was closed as untraced without proper investigation.
The book also explores the themes of delaying justice, stigma and societal behavior towards rape victims, responsibilities of the state, and the long term impacts of trauma.
What I loved the most is one of the ending chapters, where Samreena (one of the authors) says that they filed the PIL not in the hope of delivering justice to the victims, but to make it known to the state and others involved in obfuscating the facts, that these women will not be forgotten, and that their struggle is about developing a culture of resistance, where they will not remain silent in the face of injustice.
Sharing my favorite lines from the book - “The oppressor has become strong because the oppressed aren’t talking about it. And demanding justice isn’t something to be afraid of, even if you are seeking it from the most unjust of occupiers.”
September 4, 2018
Hits you hard, very hard. Tragic, unsettling, eye-opening and brutal.
Books like these introduce you to alternate realities of life that we ignore or refuse to believe in spite of the skeletons of the dead lying around us. So much so that a part of me still refuses to accept the realities depicted in the book, in spite of acknowledging the fact that a struggle that has run for 25+ years now cannot just be made up! After all, how long can you keep a ship made of lies afloat?
Worst part about this reality is that all the writers and interviews in this book clearly call out "India" in 2nd person or 3rd person, not once calling out their allegiance to India unlike the rest of the country that calls Kashmir its own. That's the level of spite, anger and hatred that Kashmiris have against India! I cringed and stopped every time I read this line and it came up with all the interviews. That was the reality that hit me the hardest.
Another thing that made me think was the way some interviews spoke good about the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Is it really the case? Are the folks staying there really happy and independent? I don't know! Is this book written to misguide the world and to show "India" in a bad light? I don't know! My mind is badly screwed right now and I am not able distinguish between true and false about the things I have read.
In the end, I will just say that I was never sure how the Kashmir issue can be solved. After reading this book, I still don't know and it has not helped in forming any concrete opinion, not that the book ever promised to do that but just saying.
Coming to the writing, wasn't a good idea to have 5 writers on board. Found a lot of stories/episodes being repeated twice or thrice which was a major turnoff. Someone should have consolidated and edited the book with more care.
Books like these introduce you to alternate realities of life that we ignore or refuse to believe in spite of the skeletons of the dead lying around us. So much so that a part of me still refuses to accept the realities depicted in the book, in spite of acknowledging the fact that a struggle that has run for 25+ years now cannot just be made up! After all, how long can you keep a ship made of lies afloat?
Worst part about this reality is that all the writers and interviews in this book clearly call out "India" in 2nd person or 3rd person, not once calling out their allegiance to India unlike the rest of the country that calls Kashmir its own. That's the level of spite, anger and hatred that Kashmiris have against India! I cringed and stopped every time I read this line and it came up with all the interviews. That was the reality that hit me the hardest.
Another thing that made me think was the way some interviews spoke good about the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Is it really the case? Are the folks staying there really happy and independent? I don't know! Is this book written to misguide the world and to show "India" in a bad light? I don't know! My mind is badly screwed right now and I am not able distinguish between true and false about the things I have read.
In the end, I will just say that I was never sure how the Kashmir issue can be solved. After reading this book, I still don't know and it has not helped in forming any concrete opinion, not that the book ever promised to do that but just saying.
Coming to the writing, wasn't a good idea to have 5 writers on board. Found a lot of stories/episodes being repeated twice or thrice which was a major turnoff. Someone should have consolidated and edited the book with more care.
July 17, 2016
"This book is about one night in two villages in Kashmir, Kunan, and Poshpora. A night that has refused to end for 24 long years, a night that holds stories of violation, injustice, oppression, and falsehood, as well as acts of courage, bravery, and truth. This book is about Kunan Poshpora: The Story of a Mass Rape.."
On a cold February night of 1991, two villages of Kupwara district in Kashmir, Kunan and Poshpora were under military crackdown. A crackdown in which protocols were bent to inhuman levels. Incensed at the villagers' refusal to share any information on hiding militants, soldiers pulled residents from their homes, torturing men, and raping women. Both the villages were drowned in muffled screams of women who were being raped, some in front of their families and others in nooks and corners. The men were taken away to be questioned separately, but even they were tortured in such a brutal manner that now when they try and remember that night, shivers run down their spine.
Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora by Five young authors, Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Samreena Mushtaq, Munaza Rashid and Natasha Rather, is a book that many of us don't know about. These five young women from Kashmir use memory as a powerful weapon to reconstruct the facts of that cold February night of 1991 when a mass rape of 31 women took place in the villages of Kunan and Poshpora. And how after 25 years, justice is not given and the case was also once closed as"untraced".
The legal fight for justice of mass rape of these women started when Delhi was burning in anger due to a mass rape of medical college student, "Nirbhaya". The whole nation rose up to power questioning authority and central government as to how such a grotesque thing can happen in the capital? It was then when Samreena, a volunteer in a civil society organization asked her friend Essar, "Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? ". The hollow eyes of victims of Kunan and Poshpora still await the day when their criminals will be punished. The girls question, why did a rape in Delhi make nation's blood boil and justice was delivered timely whereas a mass rape by Armed Forces was still shrouded in silence? Why a rape in India is punishable but a rape in Kashmir is not?
These five women raise very powerful questions about the state and armed forces capability to handle the situation, of not collecting evidence on time, of numerous delays in the court hearing and people responsible not turning up for questioning. A fight that is 25 years old but no justice has been given to the victims yet. Ifrah initiated the Support Group for Justice of Kunan Poshpora and began working on the PIL to reopen the investigation of Kunan Poshpora. At first, only seven girls came forward to be the part of PIL, but then Ifrah thought that they need more numbers. She appealed to others, some reluctantly came forward and some agreed without hesitation. The PIL was not admitted, but the court proceedings threw some light on the inhumane actions of Armed Forces that night and many major loopholes. It also showed how cunningly the facts were twisted and hidden. In March 2013, The J&K police hurriedly submitted a closure report on the case which was not accepted. On June 18 that year, the judicial magistrate of Kupwara ordered further investigations by the police to be completed within three months. Those three months have long since passed, but the case is still awaiting action. The writers also question the findings in B.G. Verghese committee. The twist and turn of this legal struggle have been meticulously covered in this detailed account, Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora.
Before I got my hands on Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora, I was a little aware of the incident. But when I started reading it, I was shocked. My knowledge of the incident was very much limited to google search. But the book thoroughly covers from the beginning what happened that night. How Armed Forces, who was once placed to save the civilians from militants, became one of the most dreaded outfits for these two villages. The book is like a personal account of the journey of these five young authors working on this case, the limitations they faced, stigma attached to the victims, the cunning Armed Forces and their unreliable committees being set up to give justice. With rarely heard voices and concern, Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora is an account that will take you face to face to the fact that how it feels, to live under military rule for 30 years?
One of the positive things that came out of Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora was how women who are illiterate and have never seen the light of education, are coming out of their shells and sharing the story of their lives. Their spirit to fight makes people notice them, makes people applaud and respect them, even if they are shattered from inside.
In a recent Facebook thread of a friend, she candidly asked "Pokemon Go or Divyanka Tripathi - who has hijacked your feed better in the past week?". Out of all the responses, only I was the one who wrote Burhan Wani. And in that moment I understood why Kashmir will always be aloof to us. It's easy to say that "Doodh Mangoge Kheer Deenge, Kashmir Manogoge Cheer denge", but at the end of the day we belong to a society that doesn't want to discuss Kashmir. We watch the news, we abuse the terrorists, we sympathize with the public and then we go off to sleep. We think that discussing won't solve anything, but maybe discussing Kashmir is what we require after so much of bloodshed in a state, that we proudly announce as the "Head of India". No matter how many Policies Modi Government introduces or how many gold medals we win, we can never be a developed country if one of our states is drowning in the blood of men being killed and screams of women who are being tortured and raped!
I am no expert on Kashmir subject and those who even say they are, know that being an expert won't help anything in Kashmir. What can help is the discussion, voices of the young generation and intellect that can question right and wrong that is happening in one of our state that has now been reduced to graves. Kunan Poshpora is something that very few people know of, and that is the tragedy of this great nation, ignorance, and deafness towards injustice that women face in Kashmir.
On a cold February night of 1991, two villages of Kupwara district in Kashmir, Kunan and Poshpora were under military crackdown. A crackdown in which protocols were bent to inhuman levels. Incensed at the villagers' refusal to share any information on hiding militants, soldiers pulled residents from their homes, torturing men, and raping women. Both the villages were drowned in muffled screams of women who were being raped, some in front of their families and others in nooks and corners. The men were taken away to be questioned separately, but even they were tortured in such a brutal manner that now when they try and remember that night, shivers run down their spine.
Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora by Five young authors, Essar Batool, Ifrah Butt, Samreena Mushtaq, Munaza Rashid and Natasha Rather, is a book that many of us don't know about. These five young women from Kashmir use memory as a powerful weapon to reconstruct the facts of that cold February night of 1991 when a mass rape of 31 women took place in the villages of Kunan and Poshpora. And how after 25 years, justice is not given and the case was also once closed as"untraced".
The legal fight for justice of mass rape of these women started when Delhi was burning in anger due to a mass rape of medical college student, "Nirbhaya". The whole nation rose up to power questioning authority and central government as to how such a grotesque thing can happen in the capital? It was then when Samreena, a volunteer in a civil society organization asked her friend Essar, "Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora? ". The hollow eyes of victims of Kunan and Poshpora still await the day when their criminals will be punished. The girls question, why did a rape in Delhi make nation's blood boil and justice was delivered timely whereas a mass rape by Armed Forces was still shrouded in silence? Why a rape in India is punishable but a rape in Kashmir is not?
These five women raise very powerful questions about the state and armed forces capability to handle the situation, of not collecting evidence on time, of numerous delays in the court hearing and people responsible not turning up for questioning. A fight that is 25 years old but no justice has been given to the victims yet. Ifrah initiated the Support Group for Justice of Kunan Poshpora and began working on the PIL to reopen the investigation of Kunan Poshpora. At first, only seven girls came forward to be the part of PIL, but then Ifrah thought that they need more numbers. She appealed to others, some reluctantly came forward and some agreed without hesitation. The PIL was not admitted, but the court proceedings threw some light on the inhumane actions of Armed Forces that night and many major loopholes. It also showed how cunningly the facts were twisted and hidden. In March 2013, The J&K police hurriedly submitted a closure report on the case which was not accepted. On June 18 that year, the judicial magistrate of Kupwara ordered further investigations by the police to be completed within three months. Those three months have long since passed, but the case is still awaiting action. The writers also question the findings in B.G. Verghese committee. The twist and turn of this legal struggle have been meticulously covered in this detailed account, Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora.
Before I got my hands on Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora, I was a little aware of the incident. But when I started reading it, I was shocked. My knowledge of the incident was very much limited to google search. But the book thoroughly covers from the beginning what happened that night. How Armed Forces, who was once placed to save the civilians from militants, became one of the most dreaded outfits for these two villages. The book is like a personal account of the journey of these five young authors working on this case, the limitations they faced, stigma attached to the victims, the cunning Armed Forces and their unreliable committees being set up to give justice. With rarely heard voices and concern, Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora is an account that will take you face to face to the fact that how it feels, to live under military rule for 30 years?
One of the positive things that came out of Do You Remember Kunan Poshpora was how women who are illiterate and have never seen the light of education, are coming out of their shells and sharing the story of their lives. Their spirit to fight makes people notice them, makes people applaud and respect them, even if they are shattered from inside.
In a recent Facebook thread of a friend, she candidly asked "Pokemon Go or Divyanka Tripathi - who has hijacked your feed better in the past week?". Out of all the responses, only I was the one who wrote Burhan Wani. And in that moment I understood why Kashmir will always be aloof to us. It's easy to say that "Doodh Mangoge Kheer Deenge, Kashmir Manogoge Cheer denge", but at the end of the day we belong to a society that doesn't want to discuss Kashmir. We watch the news, we abuse the terrorists, we sympathize with the public and then we go off to sleep. We think that discussing won't solve anything, but maybe discussing Kashmir is what we require after so much of bloodshed in a state, that we proudly announce as the "Head of India". No matter how many Policies Modi Government introduces or how many gold medals we win, we can never be a developed country if one of our states is drowning in the blood of men being killed and screams of women who are being tortured and raped!
I am no expert on Kashmir subject and those who even say they are, know that being an expert won't help anything in Kashmir. What can help is the discussion, voices of the young generation and intellect that can question right and wrong that is happening in one of our state that has now been reduced to graves. Kunan Poshpora is something that very few people know of, and that is the tragedy of this great nation, ignorance, and deafness towards injustice that women face in Kashmir.
April 4, 2024
"Memory is our weapon against oppression"
It seems like remember is the most we can do in the Kunan Poshpora mass rape case. And remember we must, against every attempt made to erase our memory, to silence our laments, to diminish our suffering, and to curtail our resistance. An account of the largest ever recorded sexual crime in the subcontinent, this case is the ideal example of how the armed forces escape culpability for their crimes against the kashmiris, how every organ of the government works together in unision to guarantee them impunity. When outright denial didn't seem to be working, they started justifying the atrocities committed by labelling the survivors "militant sympathisers".
It is a reminder of what limits states can go to, to stop justice from being delivered, to oppress a people by using rape as a weapon, to create fear among the victims, and to level accusations at them to silence protest. But notwithstanding the obstacles created by the state and its institutional arms, the battle to expose such structural violence and the state’s attempt to protect such criminals, has always continued in various forms. The survivors and their families have faced social stigma, threats and violence time and again, but they continue both with their lives and with the battle that they started.
It seems like remember is the most we can do in the Kunan Poshpora mass rape case. And remember we must, against every attempt made to erase our memory, to silence our laments, to diminish our suffering, and to curtail our resistance. An account of the largest ever recorded sexual crime in the subcontinent, this case is the ideal example of how the armed forces escape culpability for their crimes against the kashmiris, how every organ of the government works together in unision to guarantee them impunity. When outright denial didn't seem to be working, they started justifying the atrocities committed by labelling the survivors "militant sympathisers".
It is a reminder of what limits states can go to, to stop justice from being delivered, to oppress a people by using rape as a weapon, to create fear among the victims, and to level accusations at them to silence protest. But notwithstanding the obstacles created by the state and its institutional arms, the battle to expose such structural violence and the state’s attempt to protect such criminals, has always continued in various forms. The survivors and their families have faced social stigma, threats and violence time and again, but they continue both with their lives and with the battle that they started.
October 5, 2021
This book was published as a part of series on “Sexual Violence and Impunity in South Asia” .. it wasn’t an easy read and took me forever to get through it!
**
Kunan and Poshpora are two villages in Kashmir .. and one night in February 1991 .. there were mass rapes and tortures committed by the Army men. The book talks about what happened, how a PIL was opened in February 2013 and how the residents of these two villages are still dealing with the aftermath. There were so many times I wanted to not read any further but then I carried on!
**
I always wonder - why do human beings forget about humanity or being human and become beasts!
**
Kunan and Poshpora are two villages in Kashmir .. and one night in February 1991 .. there were mass rapes and tortures committed by the Army men. The book talks about what happened, how a PIL was opened in February 2013 and how the residents of these two villages are still dealing with the aftermath. There were so many times I wanted to not read any further but then I carried on!
**
I always wonder - why do human beings forget about humanity or being human and become beasts!
July 20, 2018
Make no mistake - This is a difficult book to read. A brutal description of what happened when Indian army raided two villages in Kashmir one night to look for terrorists. Women in every home were raped brutally and no one was spared...no one. 25 years later and there is this one book out to tell the rest of Indians what happened. Nothing else. There is no justice, no relief for those women. There is only shame and silence. This is their story and it needs to be known.
May 8, 2017
And....
She Wept.
She Wept.
August 11, 2018
Evocative of the injustice that both women and men faced in Kashmir, this book is a searing critique of the atrocities that the army commits on people they are supposed to protect.
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