January 27 is remembered in the history of occupied Jammu and Kashmir as a tragic symbol of Indian state repression. On January 27, 1994, Indian occupying forces opened unprovoked fire on peaceful and unarmed Kashmiri civilians in Kupwara, mercilessly martyring 27 people and severely injuring dozens.
This massacre occurred after the Kashmiri people completely boycotted India’s Republic Day on January 26, rejecting Indian occupation and so-called democracy. The brutality peaked when the injured were denied medical aid, and even unarmed and innocent civilians coming to help were fired upon.
Later, the Indian army flatly refused to investigate the incident, and the case was closed in 1997 without any punishment. Even today, the affected families in occupied Kashmir await justice.
The Kupwara massacre exposes the reality that India’s so-called democracy is actually another name for oppression, state terrorism, and gross human rights violations. Indian oppression can never suppress the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, and Pakistan will always raise its voice in favor of the Kashmiri people.
