Man who buried 235 nameless bodies in Kashmir died after illness

5 Dariya News

Baramulla 11-Jan-2016

Gravedigger Atta Muhammad Khan known for having buried over 235 unidentified bullets ridden dead bodies in Kashmir passed away after brief illness. Atta, 75 had been suffering from chest and kidney ailments.  A resident of Chahal Bimbyar village in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district, Atta became a household name in the Valley in 2008 following release of a report on mass graves by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP).Atta Mohammad in his village received 235 unidentified bullet ridden dead bodies, most of whom the armed forces claimed were militants killed in encounters. This included the dead body of a six-month old baby girl.

According to Atta Muhammad, he felt the forces that killed these unidentified persons, would not have paid respect to the dead; therefore he chose to give them a proper burial. On some occasions, he and the local community members would retain some belonging of the dead, which helped in identification, when their families came looking for them.Atta Muhammad was amongst very few people who came out in the open to testify as the witness to the unmarked graves. He was perhaps the only gravedigger who did not mind being identified by his name publicly despite threat to his life. He was very keen that his testimony should have been used by the government for conducting a credible investigation into the phenomenon of unmarked graves in Jammu and Kashmir.He had played a significant role in indentifying unmarked graves in the Valley.  According to Atta, he has buried 235 bruised, defaced and decomposed bodies, with majority of them being unidentified persons. (CNS)