35 Hindus were killed in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in separate incidents over the Mayday weekend. The attacks came days before the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was set to meet separatist leaders in Kashmir for talks.

The bloodiest incident occurred on May 1st in the Doda district of Kashmir. The victims were forced out of their homes and lined up before being sprayed with bullets by Islamic militants, killing 22 and injuring many more. The remaining 13 victims were Hindu shepherds, who were abducted and subsequently slain in a coordinated series of incidents throughout the weekend.

Rakesh Kumar, whose brother was killed in the attack, said some militants were dressed in police uniforms while others wore traditional Kashmiri dress - a long, loose shirt and trousers. "It was a late hour knock," he said. "I told my brother not to open the door, but he didn't listen and was whisked away to a nearby spot where he was shot."

Reacting to the village attack, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggested the killings would not hamper efforts to find peace in the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan, saying: "People of Kashmir have rejected and rebuffed terrorists repeatedly."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Similar attacks against have occurred since 1989, when separatist groups in Kashmir declared a 'Holy war' against India. Hindus became scapegoats for the militants, who believed that the cause of separatism would be served better by clearing out as many Hindus as possible from Kashmir.

Most Hindus have fled Kashmir, many to squalid refugee camps in neighbouring Jammu or other parts of India. The remaining 25,000 Hindus left in Kashmir - a tenth of the pre-1989 population - are subject to frequent attacks, and live in fear of the militants.

A chronology of major terrorist attacks in Kashmir since 1997:

Year 2003
· March 24, 2003: 24 Hindus killed in Nadimarg, Kashmir.

Year 2002
· January 7, 2002: 17 Hindus killed in Ramsoo district, Jammu.
· February 17, 2002: 8 Hindus killed in Rajouri district, Jammu.
· March 30, 2002: 12 Hindu temple-goers killed in the Raghunath Temple complex in Jammu.
· May 14, 2002: 32 Hindus killed in Kaluchak, Jammu.
· July 13, 2002: 20 Hindus killed in Kasim Nagar, Jammu.
· August 6, 2002: Nine Hindus on the Amarnath pilgrimage route killed and 29 others injured at Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir.
· August 24, 2002: 10 Hindus killed in Rajouri district of J&K State.
· November 24, 2002: 14 Hindu temple-goers killed in Raghunath Temple in Jammu.

Year 2001
· February 3, 2001: Six Sikhs gunned down in Mahjoornagar in Srinagar.
· Feb 11, 2001: 15 members of nomad (Gujjar) families Massacred in Kot-Chadwal in Rajouri district of Jammu.
· Mar 2, 2001: 15 policemen and two medical assistant killed in Manjkote area of Rajouri.
· March 17, 2001: Eight Hindus killed near Atholi in Kashmir.
· July 21, 2001: 13 people, including seven Amarnath pilgrims killed at Sheshnag in Anantnag.
· July 22, 2001: 12 Hindus massacred in Cheerji and Tagood in Doda district of Jammu.
· August 4, 2001: 15 Hindu villagers killed in Ludder-Sharotid Har area of Doda.

Year 2000
· February 28, 2000: Five Hindu drivers killed near qazigund in Anantnag district of Kashmir.
· Mar 20, 2000: 35 Sikhs massacred at Chatisinghpora in Anantnag.
· August 1, 2000: 31 Hindus including Amarnath yatris killed At Pahalgam in Anantnag.
· August 1-2, 2000: 27 Hindu labourers gunned down in Qazigund and Achabal in Anantnag.
· August 2, 2000: 7 family members killed in frontier District of Kupwara in North Kashmir.
· August 2, 2000: 11 Hindus killed in Doda district of Jammu.

Year 1999
· Feb 20, 1999: 4 Hindus killed at Muraputta-Rajouri, nine at Barlyara-Udhampur and seven at Bllala-Rajouri in Jammu.
· June 30, 1999: 15 Hindu labourers killed in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.
· July 19, 1999: 15 Hindus killed at Layata in Doda district Of Jammu.

Year 1998
· April 18, 1998: 27 Hindus killed in Prankote in Udhampur district in Jammu region.
· June 19, 1998: 25 Hindus killed in Chapnari area Of Doda district in Jammu region.
· July 28, 1998: 16 Hindus killed in two villages of Doda District in Jammu region.
· August 8, 1998: 35 labourers killed in Kalaban on Jammu-Himachal Pradesh border.

Year 1997
· Jan 25/26,1997: 25 Kashmiri Hindus killed at Wandhama-Ganderbal, Srinagar
· Mar 20, 1997: Seven Kashmiri Hindus killed in Sangrampura (Budgam).

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