The 2002 Qasim Nagar massacre was the killing of 29 Hindu labourers in Qasim Nagar on the outskirts of Jammu city in the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir by militants Background Killings of civilians had been intermittent but regular feature of the Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir. Several prior incidents like Gawkadal massacre, Handwara massacre and Hawal massacre are some of the brutal ones. The attack On 13 July 2002, around 8 pm, up to eight suspected militants walked into the Qasimnagar slum on the outskirts of Jammu Disguised as Hindu holy men. They then threw three or four grenades before opening fire with automatic weapons (AK-47s). Within minutes 24 people, all Hindus were dead. Three more died later in hospital and at least 30 were injured, some critically. The dead included 13 women and a child. The gunmen escaped into the thickly wooded hills nearby. The victims were listening to the commentary of Indian-England cricket match. There was a power cut at that time and many had gathered around a radio to listen to cricket commentary being broadcast live from Lord's Cricket Ground. Most of those killed were very poor labourers who lived in makeshift sheds fabricated from discarded apple crates. The dead included two blind beggars, 13 women and one child. Aftermath On 15 July, a complete bandh was observed in Jammu in protest against the incident. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned the massacre saying "Terrorism be it in Jammu, Kashmir or anywhere else only serves to renew the determination of the free world to fight this evil. My thoughts are with the families and friends of those who suffered". United States, Britain, and France also condemned the weekend attack. US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke to External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and condemned the massacre which he described as a "terrorist act". The State Department also released one-para statement on behalf of Mr Powell saying: I condemn the vicious killing of over 20 persons in Jammu yesterday. The people of this region deserve peace and development, not the suffering imposed upon them by terrorist thugs who are beyond the pale of the civilised world. The perpetrators of this heinous act are proving once again that they do not have the interest of the Kashmiri people at heart, but rather seek to undermine efforts to ease tensions in the region. Russia's Ministry of Foreign