1998 Chamba massacre


The 1998 Chamba massacre was the killing of thirty-five Hindus by Islamic terrorists of Hizbul Mujahedeen, in the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh in India on 3 August 1998.

Background

Since 1989, an terrorism had gripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Terrorists in the separatist insurgency had been perpetrating several massacres in the state.

The Attacks

The Pakistan-trained Islamic terrorists massacred 35 Hindus, mostly labourers, and injured 11 in the Chamba district bordering Doda in Jammu on early hours of that day. The massacre took place in two separate incidents at Kalaban and Satrundi. Twenty-six people were killed and eight injured in the Kalaban area under Police Station Tissa of Chamba District. In another incident, at about 1:30 a.m. that morning, five people were killed and three injured in village Satrindi, District Chamba. News of the massacre became public when two of the injured at Kalaban—Dhian Singh and Beli Ram—with blood oozing from their wounds, trudged eight kilometers through the dense forests report the mayhem to the nearest Mansa police post. The massacre led to conflict between Gujjars and Gaddis.
This was the first such incident in Himachal Pradesh.

The aftermath

Top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Billu Gujjar was arrested in Pathankot by Punjab Police a few days later in connection with this attack.