The Silent Morning of Sehyar – The Story of Usha Kumari Koul

Usha Kumari Koul, born on 13 June 1949, lived with her husband Rathinder Koul in Sehyar, Ali Kadal, Srinagar. A devoted wife, a caring mother to her 10-year-old son, and a hardworking woman employed at the Watch Factory in Zainakot, she lived a life of quiet resilience, holding her family together with dignity. Their household also cared for her elderly father-in-law (79) and mother-in-law (68), embodying the strength and grace of Kashmiri Pandit families.

On the morning of 14 October 1990, as Usha began her daily chores around 7 a.m., terror struck their home. Armed militants had crept in stealthily and gone straight to her husband’s room, where they unleashed a hail of bullets. Moments later, Usha saw the horrifying sight of her husband staggering down the stairs, drenched in blood. In shock and despair, she screamed for help. It was then that the killers, already leaving through the gate, turned back at the sound of her cries. Cold, ruthless, and unmoved by her grief, they raised their guns once again and pumped bullets into her, cutting her down in an instant.

In one morning, the Koul household was devastated. A husband and wife, both pillars of their family, were murdered in cold blood. An elderly couple lost the support of their son and daughter-in-law, and a 10-year-old boy was orphaned—robbed of both parents in a single moment of barbarity.

The murder of Usha Kumari Koul and Rathinder Koul remains one of the countless tragedies of the Kashmiri Pandit genocide, where homes were broken, families shattered, and lives stolen in the cruelest of ways. Their story is not just of loss but of a community targeted for its very existence—yet still carrying the memory of its martyrs with unshaken resolve.