1993 Lal Chowk fire

The 1993 Lal Chowk fire (literally Red Square) refers to the arson attack on the main commercial centre of downtown Srinagar, Kashmir, that took place on 10 April 1993. The fire is alleged by government officials to have been started by a crowd incited by militants,[1] while civilians and police officials interviewed by Human Rights Watch and other organisations allege that the Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) set fire to the locality in retaliation for the burning of an abandoned BSF building by local residents.[2] Over 125 civilians were killed in the conflagration and the ensuing shooting by BSF troops.[3]

1993 Lal Chowk fire
Part of Human rights abuses in Kashmir
Map
LocationLal Chowk, Srinagar, Kashmir
DateApril 10, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-04-10)
TargetResidents of the area, their homes, businesses, mosques, schools, and buildings
Attack type
Arson, mass shooting, destruction of property
WeaponsGuns, Flammable liquids
Deaths125 killed
Injured~heavy
Perpetrators Indian Army
  1. ^ Jagmohan (2006). My FrozenTurbulence in Kashmir (7th Ed.). Allied Publishers. p. 649. ISBN 978-81-7764-995-6.
  2. ^ The Human Rights Crisis in Kashmir: Patterns of Impunity. "Human Rights Watch." 1993
  3. ^ Gargan, Edward. Indian Troops Are Blamed As Kashmir Violence Rises. The New York Times. 18 April 1993.