Indian troops killed 210 Kashmiris during 2021: report

Published
28

Indian troops killed 210 Kashmiris, including five women and as many young boys, in the occupied valley, according to a report by Kashmir Media Service.

The report, released today (Saturday), stated that 65 Kashmiris were killed by Indian troops in fake encounters while in custody.

It said the in December 2021 alone, Indian troops killed 31 Kashmiris, which left one woman widowed and two children orphaned.

"At least six people were injured due to [the] use of brute force by the troops and police personnel against peaceful protesters while 94 civilians, including youth, were arrested in the month," it said, adding that Indian forces destroyed 11 residential houses during the period.

The report also mentions veteran separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, both of whom died of ill health. Geelani was under house arrest at the time of his death and Sehrai died in police custody.

The report also makes note of the events following Geelani's death, wherein his family had accused Indian authorities of forcibly snatching his body. He was buried in a tightly controlled pre-dawn ceremony as Indian authorities imposed a lockdown across occupied Kashmir.

Authorities’ refusal of a public funeral had heightened tensions in the valley and led to clashes between angry citizens and police.

According to the Kashmir Media Service report, killings by Indian troops in the occupied valley had left 16 women widowed and 44 children orphaned in 2021.

The report highlighted that 487 people were injured as a result of the "use of brute force on protesters" in the valley, while 2,716 people, including rights activist Khurram Parvez, had been arrested in raids and crackdowns by Indian troops and police last year.

"Many of those arrested were booked under black laws, namely Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)," the report said.

It further said 13 women in Indian-occupied Kashmir were either "molested, abused or disgraced by men in uniform" during last year.

Moreover, it said, Indian forces had destroyed 67 residential houses and structures in the valley during this period.

According to the report, Indian authorities did not allow Friday prayers for 45 weeks at the valley's historical Jamia Masjid in Srinagar besides disallowing other religious activities like Muharram processions and Eid Miladun Nabi gatherings in 2021.

It mentions resistance leaders detained in Delhi's Tihar jail in "fake cases”, adding that over 4,000 more people were booked under PSA and UAPA and jailed in different prisons in occupied Kashmir and elsewhere in India.

According to the report, since the Indian government stripped Kashmir of the special autonomy it had for seven decades by repealing Article 370 of the constitution in 2019, Indian troops, paramilitary and police personnel had martyred 515 Kashmiris till date.

It said 95,948 Kashmiris had been shot dead by Indian forces during the last 33 years in the occupied territory.

Opinion

Editorial

Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...
Terror and politics
Updated 29 Sep, 2026

Terror and politics

There is an urgent need to tone down the rhetoric and tackle terrorism as a collective challenge for both the affected provinces and the federation.
Watching the glaciers
29 Sep, 2026

Watching the glaciers

THE latest signs from Pakistan’s mountains are worrying. Suparco says the number of unfrozen glacial lakes it...
Dangerous agenda
29 Sep, 2026

Dangerous agenda

AS the world remains fixated on the US-Iran conflict, elsewhere in the Middle East, Israel is consolidating its grip...