In village where 23 Kashmir Pandits were killed, 4 homes a reminder of dark night

Abdul Gani met his old neighbour Brij 'Batta' Pandit near the Srinagar-Ladakh national highway, unaware that they had both been neighbours in the village of Wandhama. They hugged each other, feeling a sense of familiarity. In 1998, this village was the site of a horrific massacre where 23 Kashmiri Pandits were killed by militants.

Today, four rundown brick-and-stone houses belonging to the Pandit families still stand, a stark reminder of that dark night. Mohammad Haneef Baba, a 65-year-old resident, recalls the terror of that night, when the militants entered the village, massacring 23 Pandits, including four children and nine women. Only one survivor lived to tell the tale.

While many Pandits left the village after the massacre, a few remained, and they still maintain connections with their Muslim neighbours. The village has changed since then, with a new highway corridor built nearby and old houses being replaced by larger concrete ones. However, the four Pandit houses remain as a chilling reminder of that fateful night 28 years ago.