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'In a matter of minutes the village became a cremation ground'

Onkar Singh in Chatti Singhpora

When extremists gunned down 35 Sikh men in Chatti Singhpora, 65km south of Srinagar, on March 20, not a policeman was anywhere in sight. Ten days later, this otherwise sleepy village near the Himalayan ranges has become a fortress.

Even this morning, the state administration seemed to have taken over the village. And Inspector General of Police (Srinagar range) Ashok Bhan, along with junior officers and 100 armed men, was combing the area where the bhog ceremony of the victims will be performed in accordance with Sikh tenets tomorrow.

Second-rung Akali Dal politicians from Punjab have already reached the village to make arrangements for their top brass, who will be reaching Chatti Singhpora later tonight or tomorrow morning. "We are expecting the chief ministers of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir [Parkash Singh Badal and Dr Farooq Abdullah, respectively] to attend," an Akali Dal official in the village said.

Others expected to join the villagers for ardaas are Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee chief Bibi Jagir Kaur, newly appointed Akal Takht jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, Takht Keshgarh Sabib jathedar Professor Manjit Singh, former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann, MP. "I have been asked to make arrangements for their stay tonight," the Akali official said.

Sikhs from various parts of Kashmir and Punjab were already pouring into the village for the bhog. And the Punjab government has distributed six bags of wheat, one of sugar, one of rice, and other essential commodities to each of the 250 Sikh families in Chatti Singhpora.

The state government has also offered to pay Rs 250,000 each as cash compensation to the relatives of the victims. "In addition, the SGPC chief will give Rs 150,000 each to the families of the victims," said a villager.

The victims of the massacre have been cremated in the premises of the two gurdwaras outside which they were slain. Pictures of the "shaheed Singhs" along with their ages have also been put up there.

Granthi Rajinder Singh has been entrusted with the task of talking to the press. "Why should I talk to you?" was his first reaction. "Where were you when the Singhs were killed here?" But then he relented and spelt out details of the incident.

"It was around 7.50 in the evening when we heard the sound of gunfire and the cries of those who were killed. In a matter of minutes the village became a cremation ground. While 17 were killed in front of this gurdwara, another 18 were killed in the other. If you go out you will see the bullet marks on the walls in both places," he said.

Rajinder Singh does not know who committed the deed. "I picked up the dead one by one and brought them inside. The cries of the women wailing for their sons, husbands and brothers still pierce my ears."

The granthi pointed out that Sikhs had been living in the village for years. "Though the valley was burning, nobody touched us. But suddenly this massacre has changed the scenario. Today even if a cat makes a sound on the roof or a jeep passes by, our children wake up and cry, 'They have come to kill us'."

The Sikhs are now in a predicament. "Leaders of all communities have been telling us to stay back. Chief Minister Abdullah told us that security would be provided to all the Sikh villages in the valley. Even Hurriyat Conference leaders like Umar Farooq have told us not to leave," Rajinder Singh said.

But it's not so simple. "Today securitymen are milling around. Tomorrow they may not be here. Then who will protect us?" granthi Singh expresses the villagers' fear.

The Sikhs have now formed a joint action committee of the six districts of Anantnag, Baramullah, Pulwama, Badgam, Srinagar and Kupwara. "We are not in a hurry to leave the village. But whatever the JAC decides, Sikhs in the valley will implement," Rajinder Singh said.

Mohinder Singh, 60, who runs a grocery in the village, was sitting in his store with the shutter almost pulled down when the militants, wearing army fatigues, came and asked two youngsters sitting outside to accompany them as the village was to be searched. "But one boy noticed that the shoes they were wearing were white instead of black. He smelt a rat and so slipped away. But others were rounded up from their houses to be gunned down outside the two gurdwaras."

"I have no doubt that they were militants," Mohinder Singh added.

IGP Bhan said the government is now providing security to the villagers. "We have identified 136 villages in the valley where Sikhs live and we will do everything we can to make them feel secure. Pakistan is fighting a proxy war with India. If people of all communities stick together and work in harmony with the security forces, I am sure we will not only be able to provide a sense of security to the Sikhs in the valley but also to other communities," he said.

"We will eventually win this war, let me assure you," was his parting shot.

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