Sopur Jan 5: On this day (January 6, 1993), Kashmir witnessed bloodbath and arson by Border Security Force (BSF) in this apple town. Atleast 60 people fell to the bullets of troopers, hundreds of shops and houses were gutted down and property worth crores of rupees lost when the troopers went on a %u201Ckilling spree%u201D after a militant had injured their colleague and snatched his rifle. Though 15 years have passed since the incident, the residents of the town still shiver remembering the fateful Wednesday morning of January 6, when markets of Sopur were razed to ground within 90 minutes. Ghulam Nabi Khan, 54, an eyewitness while recalling the day said it was almost 10:45 am and life as going on as usual. %u201CSuddenly I heard two gun shots and what followed was destruction and loss of lives at the hands of troopers. In next one and a half hour, hundreds of shops were reduced to ashes and at least 60 people including some women and children were killed and others burnt alive by the troopers,%u201D Khan said. With moist eyes he recalled %u201Cthe troopers fired indiscriminately on everybody who came in their way. The mayhem by the troopers was the worst form of state terrorism since the resistance movement broke in Kashmir.%u201D Muhammad Ramzan another eyewitness said, %u201CI still remember that troopers who had turned mad first sprinkled petrol on shops and houses and then set them on
