2009

In May, the rape and murder of two Kashmiri women in Shopian led to widespread protests across Kashmir. Independent investigations held that Indian forces were involved and the doctors concluded that the women were raped. The Indian government falsely maintained that the women drowned in a stream and ended the investigation. 2700 unmarked mass graves were discovered in the highly-militarized north of Kashmir. The discovery revealed that the graves contained some 2900 unknown bodies. Human rights activists believed that the bodies were among the 8000 enforced disappearances committed by the Indian army that have taken place in Kashmir since 1989.