Overview

• Researchers from the Save Youth Save Future Foundation surveyed 373 graveyards across Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora and Ganderbal after fieldwork conducted from 2018 to 2024.
• Of 4,056 graves documented, 2,493 were identified as foreign militants and 1,208 as local militants, with only nine confirmed civilians.
• The study also recorded 70 graves linked to 1947 tribal fighters and highlighted 276 unmarked graves in Baramulla for forensic DNA identification.
• Methods included GPS tagging, photographic documentation, oral testimonies and checks of FIRs and encounter records, with no access to classified files or a central DNA database.
• The authors say the findings challenge earlier mass-grave claims and urge independent validation along with government-facilitated forensic follow-up.