The 34th anniversary of the Hawal massacre passes with victims still awaiting justice. On May 21, 1990, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq's tragic martyrdom shook the region, triggering an outpouring of grief as thousands gathered in Srinagar's Howal area for his funeral.
The mournful occasion turned into a nightmare as Indian security forces unleashed indiscriminate gunfire on the procession, leaving 72 Kashmiris dead and over 200 injured.
Eyewitness accounts reveal the roads leading to the funeral site had been sealed off by the Indian Army beforehand, trapping mourners in a deadly crossfire.
Despite a glimmer of hope when, in December 2017, the State Human Rights Commission indicted 15 security force personnel for their involvement in the massacre, justice remains elusive.
The victims' families continue to seek closure, haunted by the memory of that fateful day.
The Hawal massacre stands as a stark indictment of the challenges facing democracy and human rights in the region, where even the solemnity of a funeral was not spared from violence.
