Ramban Massacre of 15 June 1997: 3 Kashmiri Hindus Pulled Off Bus and Shot Dead by Terrorists

In one of the most painful terrorist attacks of the 1990s, three Kashmiri Hindus were brutally murdered by terrorists after being pulled out of a bus near Gool, Ramban district of J&K on June 15, 1997. The attack still haunts the people who witnessed it.

 

 

A passenger bus was travelling from Ramban to Gool, carrying several families. Around 7 km before reaching Gool, the bus was stopped by two armed men dressed in army style uniforms. At first, passengers thought they were soldiers but soon realised they were terrorists.

 

 

One Hindu man, who survived the attack, later shared what happened. He said the terrorists entered the bus and asked all Hindu passengers to get off. Some Muslim passengers protested and said that if Hindus had to leave, they would also get off the bus. The terrorists replied calmly, saying they just wanted to talk to the Hindus and would not harm them.

 

 

Soon after, one terrorist got into an argument with the Muslim passengers. Suddenly, they picked out six men they believed were Hindus and forced them off the bus.

The man who survived said he escaped by pretending to be a Muslim. He told the terrorists his name was Ashiq Hussain. The gunmen checked with other Muslim passengers, who confirmed the name, so they let him stay on the bus.

 

 

The six men taken at gunpoint were made to walk about 20 metres towards a nearby stream. Two of them however managed to escape; one jumped off a cliff, and the other ran into the hills. The remaining four were taken further ahead. Three of them were shot dead on the spot. The fourth person was released, reportedly because he was a local from Jammu.

 

 

The three Kashmiri Hindus who were killed in this attack were- Sushil Bhat, a school teacher, Ravinder Kabu, a college lecturer and Ashok Raina, a school principal. All three were married and respected members of society.

 

 

This was not an isolated case. Just a few weeks before this, seven Kashmiri Hindus had also been taken from their homes and shot dead by terrorists in the Valley.