The kunan Poshpora Kashmir incident was an mass-rape that occurred in Feb 23 1991On evening of 23rd Feb 1991, a group of soldiers belonging to the 4th Rajputana Rifles conducted a cordon and search operations in the twin villages of Kunan and Poshpora in Kupwara district.
With insurgency at its peak in Kashmir during the early 90's , such search operations were more or less routine in the valley. However, what happened next was one of the biggest human rights violations in Kashmir ever witnessed.
In search of hidden weapons in the two villages, the army proceeded to separate the men from the women. However, instead of looking for weapons, the soldiers allegedly raped 100 or more women over the next few hours ( the actual number remains unclear).
What happened next was a series of denials, cover ups, and unscrupulous investigation from the Govt. 25 years on, Kunan Poshpora remains one of the worst examples of human rights violation in Kashmir.
At around 11 pm on 23rd Feb 1991, around 125 soldiers of 68 Mountain Brigade from 4th Rajputana Rifles (the figure of 125 soldiers is recorded in the army statement) cordoned the village.
The men were dragged out from their houses and were made to sit barefoot on snow. Some of the men allege that they were subjected to 3rd degree physical torture during this time.
At the same time with the women vulnerable inside their houses, some of the soldiers came back after taking the men away.
When the army entered, I saw they had zips of their pants already opened and they had clearly come with the intention of raping us”, quoted by one of the victim while recording for Zubaan series.
Even pregnant women and teenage girls were not spared. Aged women were raped in front of their grandchildren; young women were raped in front of their children. The women allege that some of the soldiers had brought liquor bottles, and were under the influence of alcohol at that time.
As quoted by one of the victim, “I remember begging him, khuda ke liye hume chhod do (for God sake leave us), hum ne kuch nai kiya ( we are innocent). I even bowed my forehead onto his shoes. He dragged me to the kitchen. My mother was already there. I screamed with all my energy,” said one of the victim.
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