The 2016 Kashmir Riots, also known as the Burhan aftermath, refers to protests in Indian Administered Kashmir, chiefly in the Kashmir Valley. It started after the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani by Indian security forces on 8 July 2016. Wani was a commander of the Kashmir-based Islamist militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen.
Curfew was imposed in all 10 districts of the valley on 15 July and mobile services were suspended. Protests started in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley. Protesters defied curfew with attacks on security forces and public properties. Kashmir valley then remained under 53 consecutive days of curfew. The curfew was lifted on 31 August, but was reimposed in some areas the next day.
Jammu and Kashmir police and Indian paramilitary forces used pellet guns, tear gas shells, rubber bullets, as well as assault rifles. More than 90 civilians were killed and over 15,000 civilians were injured, including many who were blinded by pellet guns. Two security personnel died and over 4,000 were injured.
Columnists including Prem Shankar Jha termed the unrest as Kashmir's Intifada.
Background
In the 2014 Indian general election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a majority in the Lower House of the Indian Parliament. Narendra Modi became the prime minister. In the accompanying state Legislative Assembly elections the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won a majority of the seats in Kashmir and the BJP won the majority in Jammu. Even though the parties campaigned against each other, they formed a coalition government, with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as chief minister. Following Sayeed's death in 2016, his daughter Mehbooba Mufti took over as chief minister, becoming the first female chief minister of the state.
In late 2015 and early 2016, observers of Kashmir reported growth in Islamic militancy and increased radicalization of the Kashmiri Muslim population. Reasons for the growth included the absence of political dialogue, lack of economic opportunities, high unemployment, excessive militarization and repeated human rights violations by the security forces. According to Haris Zargar, the increasing radicalization was a reaction to Indian nationalist identity. The rise of Hindu nationalism affected how Kashmiri Muslims viewed the Indian state and reshaped their identity. The polarization in India and the violence targeting Muslims were widely discussed in Kashmiri homes.
Wani's militant Islamic wing, Hizbul Mujahideen, was dubbed "new-age militancy". It was designated a terrorist organization. It recruited youth, the educated and middle-class, who were conversant with social media and not afraid to reveal their identities. They achieved popularity among the Kashmiris. When Waseem Malla and Naseer Ahmad Pandit, two of Burhan's associates were killed by security forces, tens of thousands attended the funeral; funeral rites had to be repeated six times to allow all to participate. Youths who recently became militants campaigned for PDP during the general elections in 2014.
Death of Burhan Wani
On 8 July 2016, Burhan Wani was killed in a planned operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Rashtriya Rifles. Following a tip-off that Wani was planning to come down from the Tral forest for Eid celebrations, he and two associates were cornered in the Kokernag area. According to police officials, after an exchange of fire, the house in which the militants were staying was bombed, killing all three militants. Some eyewitnesses stated that the three were shot while trying to escape.
According to a police official, the security establishment was conflicted about killing Wani owing to his popularity, but the misgivings were not heeded. Wani left home to become a militant at age 15 after an incident with the police that humiliated him. Kashmiri youth angered by the "never-ending militarization" of the Valley were drawn to him. His constant presence on social media made him a household name.
Journalist Fahad Shah stated that, with Wani's killing, the situation in Kashmir entered a period of "amplified instability". At Wani's funeral, an estimated 200,000 people came to mourn him. Forty funeral prayers were offered as well as a 21-gun salute by militants. His death launched demonstrations, and many incidents of stone-pelting were reported.
Organizations involved
Several separatist and terrorist organizations were actively involved in inciting unrest and fueling anti government sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir. These groups played a significant role in organizing protests, issuing hartal calls, and provoking violence in the region, particularly following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. Allegedly acting on the instructions of foreign entities, including Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), these organizations, according to Indian sources, sought to destabilize the region by exploiting public sentiment and spreading misinformation.
In a significant development that highlighted the shifting landscape in Jammu and Kashmir, six separatist and terrorist organizations failed to appear before a tribunal to contest the bans imposed on them under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Government of India in 2024. These organizations—comprising four factions of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League (JKPL), Muslim Conference Jammu & Kashmir (Bhat faction), and Muslim Conference Jammu and Kashmir (Sumji faction)—were accused of inciting and orchestrating unrest following key events, including the killing of militant Burhan Wani. The Centre stated that these groups, operating under instructions from Pakistan and its intelligence agency ISI, had incited violence and mobilized mass protests through hartal calls and protest calendars, which led to the deaths of 86 civilians, injuries to nearly 9,000 others, and harm to over 8,000 security personnel.
Despite multiple opportunities, including public hearings held in Srinagar, the groups did not present any defense or evidence before the tribunal, effectively accepting the bans. The tribunal confirmed the government's action after an objective review of the evidence, as mandated by precedent. According to the Centre's submission, the organizations had been involved in spreading misinformation and provoking unrest during incidents such as the "Amarnath land row" and the Shopian case of 2009. The refusal of these groups to engage with the legal process was noted as a tacit acknowledgment of the allegations presented against them.
Timeline of unrest
2016
July
After the news of Wani's death spread, protests erupted in some areas of Kashmir Valley. Curfew-like restrictions were imposed in South Kashmir during the night, and internet services in many areas were suspended. Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik called for a strike to protest against the killing. Geelani, along with other separatist leaders including Asiya Andrabi and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, called for a three-day shutdown. The shutdown extended into August.
Violent clashes broke out on 9 July in some areas. Over 20 police stations were attacked by mobs who stole weapons and fired upon security forces. Stone pelting was reported from many parts of Kashmir, including transit camps of Kashmiri Pandits. Train services and the pilgrimage to Amarnath Temple were suspended. State board exams were postponed, while the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway was shut. By the end of the day, over 200 people were injured and 11 protesters were killed. By 10 July, more than 20 were confirmed to have died. More than 300 CRPF personnel were reported to have been injured. In addition, many vehicles and buildings belonging to security forces were attacked and a number were set ablaze. Some militants hiding among protesters threw grenades at security personnel.
Two policemen died. One (Feroz Ahmed) of Mattan, Anantnag died on 9 July when a mob attacked and pushed his mobile bunker into Jhelum river. Another died on 24 July, from injuries received in an attack on a police station by stone-pelters on 15 July.
On the night of 12 July, about 200–300 Kashmiri Pandit employees fled the transit camps in Kashmir due to the constant attacks. Over 1300 government employees belonging to the community fled the region. 800 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) meanwhile were sent to Kashmir, adding to the 1,200 sent on 9 July.
On 15 July, curfew was imposed across Kashmir and mobile phone networks were suspended. On the same day, separatists extended the shutdown until 18 July. Re-opening of schools and colleges in Kashmir was postponed. The government announced that it was sending 2,000 additional CRPF personnel to Kashmir.
The law-and-order situation had started to improve by 24 July. Curfew was lifted from four districts and parts of Srinagar city, while Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure remained in force. By 26 July, it was lifted everywhere except Anantnag.
Protests erupted in many areas after the lifting of the curfew. It was reimposed a day later in Kulgam district, Anantnag and some parts of Srinagar in view of the march called by separatists. It was later reimposed in Pulwama district and Shopian district as well.
On 29 July, violent clashes broke out in several places. Over 130 people were reported injured. 70 incidents of stone-pelting were reported, including attacks on army camps. During the protests, a government building in Rafiabad and an animal husbandry office in Shopian were set on fire, and a grenade lobbed in Shopian. On 30 July, the motorcade of state Education Minister Naeem Akhtar, who was traveling with MLC Yashir Reshi, was pelted with stones by crowds who were later dispersed at Dangerpora and Shilwat.
August
On 1 August, protesters in Srinagar attacked state Education Minister Naeem Akhtar's residence with petrol bombs. Akhtar and his family were not present at the time. The cavalcade of Law and Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq was attacked with stones by protesters in Tangdhar area managed to escape the attack unhurt. A mob attacked the vehicle of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Ramban with stones and set it ablaze on the national highway near Lethpora. Two protesters were killed in defence by a Personal Security Officer of the ADC who was rescued by the CRPF.
The shutdown was repeatedly extended by separatists into September.
The unrest spread to the Chenab valley region of Jammu Division in August with shutdowns being observed in many towns. Protests against civilian casualties were held in Doda with people shouting pro-freedom slogans. On 5 August curfew was imposed in several places in view of the march called by separatists. Three people were killed and 674 injured during violent clashes that erupted after Friday prayers.
The separatists asked Kashmiris to observe a "black day" on 15 August on 11 August. Curfew was extended in several parts of Kashmir the next day in view of the separatists' call for marching to the Eidgah on 13 and 14 August. The next day after Friday prayers, violent protests erupted in several cities, leaving hundreds of people injured. Protests followed Friday prayers in Doda against the civilian deaths in Kashmir. Many were injured in the clashes, with police and protesters blaming each other. The Seerat committee called for a three-day shutdown.
Most parts of Kashmir were placed under curfew on 13 August.
On Pakistan's Independence Day, flags of Pakistan were hoisted across Kashmir and pro-Pakistan rallies were carried out, with dozens of people reported injured when security personnel tried to disperse them. Separatist leader Asiya Andrabi was injured along with many other protesters while leading a women-only rally in Tral when security personnel used teargas.
On 16 August, five protesters were shot and killed by security personnel.
On 17 August, a march called by the separatists to the office of UNMOGIP, in Srinagar, was stopped by security forces. On the same day, the house of the MLA of Shopian, Mohammed Yousuf Bhat, was attacked by a mob.
On 21 August, a youth was killed after he was hit by a teargas shell in Srinagar while 70 others were injured in protests across the region, including about 60 people in a village of Rafiabad Tehsil. Pro-freedom rallies were held at Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama, with 40,000 people attending a rally in a Shopian village addressed by separatists including Geelani. The Border Security Force (BSF) was removed from counter-insurgency operations and deployed to maintain law and order in Srinagar for the first time in 12 years on 22 August. On 23 August, two special police officers in Sopore resigned after their houses were attacked by mobs.
On 24 August, a youth died after receiving injuries in a clash with security forces while 9 policemen were reportedly injured when a grenade was lobbed at them in Pulwama.