2004 Teli Katha massacre

2004 Teli Katha massacre was the killing of twelve Muslim Gujjars by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants on 26 June 2004 in the village of Teli Katha (also called Tiali Katha by some sources) in Surankote Tehsil in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.^[2]

Teli Katha massacre
Location	Teli Katha, Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Date	26 June 2004
Target	Muslims Gujjars
Attack type	Mass Murder
Weapons	Firearms
Deaths	12
Injured	10
Perpetrators	Lashkar-e-Taiba[1]

Background

A violent insurgency has been going on in Jammu and Kashmir since 1989. The militants had intermittently massacred villagers who did not support their cause. The state government had supplied arms to the villagers who had formed Village Defence Committees (VDC) so that they could protect themselves from the militants.

Attack

The murdered villagers included women, children, and men who were members of the Village Defense Committee, had been sleeping in their dhok. They were fired upon indiscriminately.^[3] The members of VDC returned fire forcing the militants to flee in 10–15 minutes and thereby saving many lives. The deceased include seven members of the VDC and their five children. Ten others including four women and three children were injured.^[4] The killings were thought to be revenge for the villagers co-operation with the Indian army during Operation Sarp Vinash.^[5] Anger against the militants ran so high that villagers had previously refused to bury militants killed in this operation by the Indian army, claiming their crimes meant they had renounced Islam.^[6]

Aftermath

Investigations by the authorities that Zubair Masih of Lashkar-e-Taiba had led the group of militants who were responsible for the killings.^[7]

In August 2004, security forces killed three militants involved in this massacre.^[8]

References

1. LeT commander Zubair Masih led killer group in Surankote Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Excelsior, 30 June 2004
2. 12 Kashmiris Killed in Their Sleep, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2004
3. Puri, Luv (25 September 2005). "Pir Panjal vulnerable despite people's might". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 July 2018.^{[dead link]}
4. Militants massacre 12 in Poonch, The Tribune, 26 June 2004
5. Militants avenge Sarp Vinash, The Indian Express, 27 June 2004
6. Resistance and reprisal Archived 3 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Frontline, 3 July 2004
7. LeT commander Zubair Masih led killer group in Surankote Archived 1 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Daily Excelsior, 30 June 2004
8. 3 militants involved in Surankote massacre killed, Daily Excelsior, 29 August 2004^{[dead link]}