Saturday, March 29, 2025
The Chittisinghpura massacre refers to an Islamic terrorist attack that occurred on March 20, 2000, in the village of Chittisinghpura (also spelled Chattisinghpura) in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. On that day, 35 Sikh villagers were brutally massacred while U.S. President Bill Clinton was on an official visit to India.
The Indian government has claimed that the massacre was carried out by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The attackers, disguised in Indian Army uniforms and with their faces covered, arrived in military vehicles at opposite ends of the village, where two Sikh gurdwaras were located. The terrorists marched house to house, posing as Indian soldiers; some had their faces painted with Holi colors, and one was reportedly drinking from a bottle of rum. They ordered every male member of the households to come out for a security check, lined them up in front of the gurdwaras, and then opened fire, killing 35 Sikhs.
This massacre marked a turning point in the Kashmir conflict, as Sikhs-who had generally been spared from militant violence-were targeted for the first time in such a brutal manner. Shortly after the massacre, hundreds of Kashmiri Sikhs gathered in Jammu, protesting against Pakistan and Muslims, criticizing the Indian government for failing to protect the villagers, and demanding justice and retribution.
According to Anantnag district police, locals identified Muhammad Yaqub Magrey as one of the perpetrators. Although he was questioned multiple times and held under Jammu and Kashmir’s controversial Public Safety Act, he was never formally charged or tried for the massacre. Two Pakistani nationals, Muhammad Suhail Malik from Sialkot and Wasim Ahmad from Gujranwala, were arrested by Jammu and Kashmir’s Special Operations Group and accused of involvement in the killings. Malik was also accused of infiltrating across the Line of Control (LoC) in 1999 and participating in attacks on Indian forces.
In 2000, Indian authorities announced that Malik, nephew of Lashkar-e-Taiba co-founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, had confessed while in custody to participating in attacks under Lashkar’s directives. He reiterated this claim during an interview with New York Times journalist Barry Bearak. Later, Bearak confirmed many details provided by Malik. According to Bearak’s report, Malik’s father Anwar Malik admitted that his son had gone to Kashmir for jihad. However, in 2011, a Delhi court acquitted Malik of all charges.
The massacre also became a subject of international controversy when, in the 2006 book The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs by Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton was quoted blaming “Hindu militants” for the attack. This statement sparked outrage among Hindu and Sikh communities. Clinton’s office did not respond to requests for clarification, and eventually the book’s publishers, HarperCollins, edited out the statement in future editions, acknowledging it as an error due to a failure in fact-checking.
In 2010, David Headley, a Lashkar-e-Taiba associate arrested in connection with the 2008 Mumbai attacks, reportedly told Indian investigators that Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the Chittisinghpura massacre. He identified a militant named Muzammil Bhatt as part of the group that carried out the massacre, which was intended to create communal tension just before Clinton’s visit. After being acquitted of all charges by a Delhi court, two militants accused of the massacre were deported to Pakistan in 2015. Headley also testified that Muzammil trained the attackers involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
In 2005, Sikh organizations led by Bhai Kanhiya Ji Nishkam Seva Society demanded a thorough state investigation into the massacre and called for the findings to be made public. The state government ordered an inquiry into the incident.
The Chittisinghpura massacre remains a tragic and pivotal event in the Kashmir conflict, highlighting the brutal targeting of the Sikh community and the complex geopolitical tensions in the region.
References:
Bearak, Barry. “A Kashmiri Mystery,” The New York Times Magazine, December 31, 2000.
Various reports from Hindustan Times, Times of India, BBC News, The Guardian, and others.
The Mighty and the Almighty by Madeleine Albright (2006).
Investigative reports and court proceedings related to David Headley and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
