SOPORE: On the 22nd anniversary of massacre, a complete shutdown was observed in the town to remember the victims which were killed by Border Security Force (BSF) on the fateful day of 6 January in year 1993.
More than 53 people were killed in Sopore town while hundreds of shops and commercial establishments were torched to ashes by BSF men when they opened fire on civilians and sprinkled gun powder in one of the business hubs of north Kashmir, residents said on Tuesday.
They said the BSF men were fumed up after one of their personals was killed by militants in the morning of 6 January 93.
Eyewitnesses said all the shops and commercial establishments were closed in the town while public transport was also off the roads. The call for shutdown was given by Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir leader Shabir Ahmad Shah.
Meanwhile, scores of people including resistance leaders offered Fateha Khwani for the victims at martyrs graveyard in the town and vowed to carry forward the mission of martyrs to its logical end.
A peaceful march was organized by a rights group at the graveyard. The participants and victim families carrying banners inscribed with pro-freedom slogs walked through the Iqbal Market of the town.
Paying tributes to the martyrs, Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed their sacrifices as the priceless asset of freedom struggle.
APHC Chairman said that Sopore massacre was the living dark tale of a country which has always perpetuated militarization and suppression under the garb of democratic façade.
Asserting that the blood of martyrs has led to recognition of Kashmir cause on International level, Mirwaiz said that the struggle for right to self determination would be taken forward on political and diplomatic level till it reaches its logical conclusion.
The Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir (HCJK) said that Shabir Ahmad Shah was detained by police while he was on his way to Sopore at Mirgund. The amalgam paid tributes to the victims of massacre.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik said whatever Indian troops did in Sopore 22 years ago is an unforgettable tale. He said despite carnage in Sopore and other places, the Kashmir people have vowed to carry forward freedom struggle.
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