STRUCTURES OF VIOLENCE

370 | Structures of Violence
Snober Shah [Extra-judicial killing]
Age: 10
Occupation: Student [fth standard]
Daughter of: Mohammad Amin Shah
Resident of: Didikote, Kupwara district
Alleged Perpetrators
1. Colonel Bali, Commanding Ofcer, 24
Rashtriya Ries [RR], Gushi picket [Hiri
Camp]
2. S a r w a r G a n a i , r e s i d e n t o f C h o g u l ,
Government Gunman [Ikhwan]
3. Mushtaq Sheikh, resident of Kupwara town,
Government Gunman [Ikhwan]
4. Sadiq Khan, resident of Didikote, Government
Gunman [Ikhwan]
5. Haseen Khan, resident of Didikote,
Government Gunman [Ikhwan]
Case Information
In the intervening night of 11 and 12 May 1999, around
50 personnel of the 24 RR Camp at Gushi led by
Ikhwan Sarwar Ganai [resident of Chogul], Mushtaq
Sheikh [resident of Kupwara Town], Sadiq Khan and
Haseen Khan – two of whom [Sadiq Khan and Haseen
Khan] were the victim's neighbors – entered the house
of Mohammad Amin Shah and killed him, his wife
Sharifa, his daughter Snowber and his sister-in-law
Zarifa. The armymen and the Ikhwans were uniformed
and carried weapons.
Colonel Bali had frequently threatened the family
saying he would kill them because the family,
especially the elder brother of the victim, supported the
militancy by feeding militants and providing them
shelter. On the day of the massacre, around 20
persons were present in the house including women
and children including Ala-ud-din Shah [son of
Mohammad Yusuf Shah], his wife Zarifa Begum;
Mohammad Yaseen Shah [son of Mohammad Yusuf
Shah], his wife Misra; Mohammad Amin Shah, his wife
Sharifa and their children Snowber and Misbah, aged
10 years and two months respectively.
Sanaullah Shah [son of Mohammad Yusuf Shah] was
not present in the house that day but the event was
witnesses by his wife Naseema.
Army personnel and Ikhwans entered the house upon
which Ala-ud-dinShah, the eldest of the four brothers,
hid himself in the attic fearing retaliation from the army
in light of the continuing threats from Colonel Bali. The
raiding party turned off the lights in every room and
bolted the doors to the rooms. Upon entering the room
of Mohammad Amin Shah, they beat him and shot him.
They also shot his wife Zarifa and their daughter
Snowber. On their way down, Zarifa, the sister-in-law
of Mohammad Amin, pulled the cover off the faces of
the Ikhwans, upon which one Ikhwan shot her too. The
Ikhwans and the army red shots in every room and
left in the early hours of the morning.
Two days after the incident, Doordarshan reporters
visited the area; they were hosted at the army Camp in
Gushi. Colonel Bali had tortured Sanuallah, brother of
the victim Mohammad Amin, into saying that the
incident had been perpetrated by militants and had
arranged for this to be televised. However, at the
camp, Sanaullah was unable to contain himself and
spoke out against the army. After this, the family was
repeatedly harassed due to which they moved to
Srinagar, where they stayed for 5-6 years. Only
Sanaullah Shah came back after this and currently
resides at the house.
The brother of the victim, Mohammad Amin Shah,
Sanaullah Shah, gave the above statement to the
IPTK on 14 June 2015.
The family of the victim states that Sarwar Ganai was
sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay Rs.
50,000 towards the family of the victims. But, Sarwar
Ganai led an appeal in the High Court and is out on
bail presently. Mushtaq Sheikh is presently under-trial.
But prior to that, another Mushtaq Sheikh was wrongly
tried. The above proceedings appear to be a result of
FIR no. 24/1999 led at Villgam Police Station.
Further, the State Human Rights Commission [SHRC]
on 6 April 2001 gave its decision in this case and
recommended that Rs. 10 lakhs as per the Wandhama
case be given to the minor girl surviving the above
massacre, and that chargesheet be led in the case.
But, there have been no proceedings against Colonel
Bali who controlled and directed the Ikhwan. The eyewitness
evidence in this case is strong and therefore
further investigations are warranted.
Case No. 107
Victim Details
1. Mohammad Ayub Dar [Torture and Extra-
Judicial Killing (Custodial Killing)]
Age: 17
Son of: Abdul Rehman Dar
Resident of: Chraripora, Pakharpora,
Budgam District
2. Bashir Ahmed Dar [Torture]
Son of: Abdul Rehman Dar
Resident of: Chraripora, Pakharpora,
Budgam District
Alleged Perpetrators
1. Inspector Waris Shah, In-Charge, Special
Operations Group [SOG], Jammu and
Kashmir Police, Camp Pakharpora
2. Head Constable Ichpal Singh, Special
Operations Group [SOG], Jammu and
Kashmir Police
3. C o n s t a b l e G u r m e e t S i n g h , S p e c i a l