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The 2010 Kashmir unrest was a series of violent protests and riots in the
Kashmir Division The Kashmir division is a revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir ...
, Chenab Valley and
Pir Panjal The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indi ...
regions of Northern
Jammu division The Jammu division (; ) is a Divisions of India, revenue and administrative division of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to t ...
of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It began in June 2010 after the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
claimed to have killed three Pakistani infiltrators. However, it was later revealed that three young men from Nadihal village in Baramulla district were killed in a staged encounter at Sona Pindi by a soldier of the Territorial Army, a counter-insurgent, and a former special police officer. This incident, later known as the Machil fake encounter, sparked outrage across the region, contributing to the violent protests that followed. The protests were initially led by separatist leaders from the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who called for the complete demilitarisation of Jammu and Kashmir. The APHC also condemned the human rights abuses allegedly committed by security forces in the region and called for a general strike to demand justice and accountability. Protesters, predominantly youth, defied curfews and restrictions, shouting pro-independence slogans, burning police vehicles, and targeting government buildings. The unrest further escalated following the death of 17-year-old student Tufail Mattoo, whose killing by security forces sparked widespread protests. The riot police consisting of Jammu and Kashmir Police and Indian Para-military forces fired teargas shells rubber bullets and also live ammunition on the protesters, resulting in 117 deaths, including many teenagers and an 11-year-old boy. The protests subsided after the Indian government announced a package of measures aimed at defusing the tensions in September 2010.


Background

On 30 April 2010, the
Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...
claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid from across the
Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...
, at Machil Sector in Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir by killing three armed militants from Pakistan. However, it was subsequently established that the encounter had been staged and that the three alleged militants were in fact civilians of Rafiabad area, who had been lured to the army camp by promising them jobs as "porters" for the Army, and then shot in cold blood, in order to claim a cash award. On 11 June, there were protests against these killings in the downtown area of Srinagar. Police used massive force to disperse the protesting youth during which a teargas bullet killed a seventeen-year-old Tufail Ahmad Mattoo who participated in the protest. Stadium. Several protest marches were organised across the Valley in response to the killings which turned violent. Thereafter a vicious circle was set, killing of a boy was followed by protest demonstrations and clashes with police and CRPF in which another boy was killed which led to another protest by the boys till several youth lost their lives. Official figures reveal around 110 people have lost their lives and 537 civilians were injured during stone-pelting incidents from May to 21 September 2010. Around 1,274 CRPF men and 2,747 police personnel were injured during the same period across the valley.Stone-pelting in Kashmir was a 'joint' exercise – India – DNA
Dnaindia.com. Retrieved on 12 July 2013.
Indian intelligence agencies claimed that these protests and demonstrations were part of covert operations of Pakistani intelligence agencies and were sponsored and supported from them. Media reports earlier in march had suggested that with the support of its intelligence agencies Pakistan has been once again 'boosting' Kashmir militants and recruitment of 'martyrs' in Pakistani state of
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
.Why Pakistan is 'boosting Kashmir militants'
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, 3 March 2010
It was reported that in a meeting held in Muzaffarabad in mid January 2010 which was chaired by former
Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...
chief Hamid Gul,
United Jihad Council The United Jihad Council, also known as the Muttahida Jihad Council (MJC), is an Islamist Jihadist coalition that operates as a center for unified command and control over the anti-Indian militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir. It was fo ...
called for reinvigorated
jihad ''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
until Kashmir was free of "Indian occupation". In May 2010 increased activities of militants was reported from across the border in Neelum valley in Pakistani-administered
Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...
. The locals reported that large numbers of militants had set up camps in the area with plans of crossing into the
Kashmir valley The Kashmir Valley, also known as the Vale of Kashmir, is an intermontane valley in northern Jammu and Kashmir, a region in Indian-administered Kashmir.(a) (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcont ...
, and they did not appear to be Kashmiri.


Demands of protesters

The erstwhile undivided state of Jammu and Kashmir is the largest militarised territorial dispute. Around 700,000 –1,000,000 Indian troops and paramilitaries station permanently in the state with a population of 14 million. Protesters demanded that the number of troops in the state of Jammu and Kashmir be reduced. In addition protesters shouted pro-independence slogans demanding Indian forces 'Quit Kashmir'.


Violent protest and riots

On 11 June, Tufail Ahmad Mattoo a 17-year-old student, who was there to protest "peacefully" against atrocities was killed after being hit in the head by a tear gas shell. His death proved to be a catalyst and subsequently stone throwing mobs confronted the police almost daily. A vicious cycle was initiated, killing of a person was followed by demonstrations and clashes with police and Central Reserve Police Force in which another person was killed which led to another protest till more lost their lives and hundreds of security personnel were injured in riots.


Stone pelting

The mob pelted stones and bricks at the riot police and in response the Indian forces used tear gas, rubber bullets and in some cases live ammunition resulting in death of some of the unarmed protestors. The protesters were accused by the government of using stone pelting as a violent mean of creating chaos. The violent stone pelting by the mob resulted in several security personnel being injured. To prevent the riots Indian authorities imposed curfew in Srinagar and other towns in the valley. In August, the government responded by imposing curfews in the disturbed areas and by deploying Rapid Action Force (RAF) in the Srinagar valley to control demonstrations. Protesters, however, defied curfew and also pelted stones on the police and paramilitary personnel. The year 2010 opened the Pandora's box for the Indian government which responded to the chaos by using live ammunition which resulted in death of more than hundred protestors.


September protests

Protests in Kashmir escalated over several days, as demonstrations against public burning of the Koran as a protest in the United States commemorating the
11 September attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
quickly turned into separatist protests against the Indian government in the Muslim-majority province. On 13 September, Muslim protesters defied a curfew, setting fire to a Christian missionary school and government buildings. At least 17 people were shot dead by police, and one policeman was killed by a thrown rock; at least 113 policemen and 45 protesters were wounded. On 12 September, a church was burned and a curfew instituted in
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
. Violence spread into Poonch in the
Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...
division, with three protesters shot by police. Protesters burned government buildings and vehicles including the SDM's office, where a gas cylinder exploded inflicting injuries on six people; the SDPO office; the Forest Department office; the BDO office and two police and five civilian vehicles. Muslim protesters also burnt a Christian school in Poonch, and another in Mendhar the next day, in clashes leaving four protesters killed, 19 wounded, but dozens of government offices, a police station, and eight vehicles were burned. Two other churches were also reportedly burnt by Muslim protesters in
Rajouri Rajouri or Rajauri (; ; ) is a city in the Rajouri district in the Jammu division of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is located about from Srinagar and from Jammu (city), Jammu city on ...
and Naushera. The riots spread to outside the Kashmir Valley and in the western areas of Jammu and Kashmir along the
Line of Control The Line of Control (LoC) is a military control line between the Indian and Pakistanicontrolled parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir—a line which does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary, but ser ...
which are also majority Muslim. As of 18 September, the estimated death toll was approximately 100. The
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
blamed much of the resentment on the indefinite military curfew, the first in 10 years to affect the entire Kashmir Valley, calling the curfew "collective punishment" and writing that after four days, "People are running out of milk, vegetables and baby food. " On 18 September, after six days, the curfew was relaxed in parts of
Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
and some other areas for four hours to allow people to buy essentials. On the night of 17 September, a policeman's house was set on fire in Pinjoora village. On 18 September, a large procession in
Anantnag Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...
defied curfew, carrying the body of Maroof Ahmad Nath, who drowned while fleeing police. After "agitating mobs attempted to torch government property", security forces opened fire, killing Noorul Amin Dagga and injuring five. Fayaz Ahmad Naiku of Boatman Colony (Bemina), Srinigar died from injuries received the preceding day. A group stoning and attempting to burn the home of
Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...
leader Fayaz Ahmad Bhat were dispersed by gunfire. A group of men emerging from a mosque were fired on with one killed and four injured in Pattan area. A police spokesman disputed claims that the attack was unprovoked, because a mob tried to block the Srinagar-
Baramulla Baramulla (), also known as Varmul () in Kashmiri, is a city and municipality of the Baramulla district of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various r ...
National Highway and started heavy stone pelting on police.


Criticism of security forces

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...
called on Indian security forces not to use gunfire against rioters. Prime minister of India
Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...
expressing concern over the deaths asked for revisiting operating procedures and "non-lethal, yet effective and more focussed" crowd control measures to deal with the violent protesters.


Criticism of the protests

In response to the unrest in Kashmir,
Kashmiri Pandits The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins) are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. They belong to the Pancha-Gauda, Pancha Gauda Brahmin group from the Kashmir Valley, located w ...
met with Indian finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee Pranab Kumar Mukherjee ( ; born, 11 December 1935 – 31 August 2020) was an Indian statesman who served as the president of India from 2012 until 2017. He was the first person from West Bengal to hold the post of President of India. In a pol ...
and asked that there be no dilution of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act that applies to Kashmir. Their leader Ramesh Manvati, belonging to Panun Kashmir, stated: "The security forces must be provided the constitutional protection as they are playing crucial role in preservation of the country's sovereignty." the Kashmiri Pandits also staged a
dharna A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to ...
in
Jammu Jammu () is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute ...
stating that no solution of the problem was possible without including them in the dialogue. Indian
Home minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...
P. Chidambaram hinted at Pakistan's involvement in the unrest saying that "It is possible that they believe that relying upon civilian unrest will pay them better dividends. But I am confident if we are able to win the hearts and minds of the people those designs can be foiled." Condemning the violent protests
Farooq Abdullah Farooq Abdullah (born 21 October 1937) is an Indian politician who serves as current president of the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982 till 2002, and ...
president of the largest political party in Kashmir
Jammu & Kashmir National Conference The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) is a regional political party in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir union territory and Ladakh. Founded as the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference by ...
stated that Kashmir has been and will always remain a part of India. He however demanded withdrawal of AFSPA. Chief minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah has also called for withdrawal of AFSPA. However the leaders of
Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...
opposed the withdrawal of AFSPA and the party spokesman said that BJP saw the hand of
Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...
behind the protests. Yasin Malik, leader of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, accused Pakistani militants of subverting the indigenous movement. J&K police claimed that there exist a nexus that raises money to make weekly payments for stone pelting and many arrests have taken place on this.


Response of central government

On 15 September, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...
proposed an all-party meeting in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that dialogue was the only way to find lasting peace, and "We are ready for dialogue with anybody or any group that does not espouse or practice violence". Written invitations included Kashmiri separatists Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik, who had been excluded from a previous all-party meeting in 2008 during the Amarnath land transfer controversy. Members of the 39-member delegation include Home Minister
P Chidambaram Palaniappan Chidambaram (born 16 September 1945), better known as P. Chidambaram, is an Indian politician and lawyer who currently serves as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. He served as the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee o ...
and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal,
Sushma Swaraj Sushma Swaraj (''née'' Sharma; 14 February 1952 – 6 August 2019; ) was an Indian lawyer, politician and diplomat who served as the 5th Chief Minister of Delhi, and also the Minister of External Affairs of India in the first Narendra Modi ...
and Arun Jaitley (BJP), Basudeb Acharia (CPM), Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI),
Mulayam Singh Yadav Mulayam Singh Yadav (22 November 1939 – 10 October 2022) was an Indian politician, a socialism, socialist figure and founder of the Samajwadi Party. Over the course of his political career spanning more than six decades, he served for three t ...
(
Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...
) and
Ram Vilas Paswan Ram Vilas Paswan (5 July 19468 October 2020) was an Indian politician from Bihar and the Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the First Modi ministry, first and Second Modi ministry, second Modi ministries. Pasw ...
( Lok Janshakti Party). The delegation subsequently visited Kashmir. Following this visit Indian government announced several measures to defuse the tensions. The measures included release of all the students arrested during the protests, reopening of schools, discussions on reducing the number of security forces in Kashmir and appointment of a group to begin sustained dialogue with the Kashmiris. In addition financial compensation of $11,000 to the families of each of those killed was announced. Most of the families rejected the compensation but a few accepted it, in spite of calls by the Hurriyat Conference and social pressure on families to reject the money from Government of India.


Conviction for killing

The army convicted seven soldiers, including two officers, and sentenced them to life imprisonment for a staged killing of three Kashmiri civilians and passing it off as an anti-militancy operation for rewards and remunerations in J&K in 2010. The court martial proceedings began in January 2014 and ended in September of that year. In April 2010, army had said it had killed three infiltrators in the Machil sector and claimed they were Pakistani militants. The men were later identified as Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Riyaz Ahmad Lone and Muhammad Shafi Lone, all residents of Baramulla district. They were lured to work as porters for the Army in Kupwara district. Instead, the Army killed them in a fake encounter, applied black paint on the clean-shaven faces of the slain, placed weapons on them and said they had killed foreign militants.


Suspension of sentences

On 27 July 2017, The Armed Forces Tribunal suspended the life sentence of the five army personnel including a Colonel and a Captain who had been convicted by a General Court Martial in 2014 for staging the killing of three Kashmiri civilians at Macchil in 2010 and branding them as foreign militants for brass medals and cash rewards.


FIR against Chief Minister and police

In March 2015, All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani entirely blamed then Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah and former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashiq Bukhari for killings of 2010 unrest and filed a FIR in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM),
Srinagar Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
. "(We) have decided to register a criminal case against Omar Abdullah and Ashiq Bukhari for the innocent killings of 2010 and will try to bring the murderers of the innocent students to justice," a Hurriyat statement said.


References


External links


Video:Kashmir unrest prompts new curfew
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kashmir Unrest, 2010 Riots and civil disorder in Jammu and Kashmir 2010 crimes in India 2010 riots 2010s in Jammu and Kashmir Stone pelting in the Kashmir conflict Arson in Jammu and Kashmir Church arson in India Arson in 2010 2010 fires in Asia Attacks on government buildings and structures in Jammu and Kashmir Attacks on religious buildings and structures in Jammu and Kashmir Attacks on buildings and structures in 2010 Arson attacks on vehicles in India June 2010 in India July 2010 in India August 2010 in India September 2010 in India Events that led to courts-martial Kashmir Division