The Meadow

In the summer of 1995, six tourists were kidnapped in the mountains of Kashmir. The ransom note said the kidnappers were from an unheard of Islamic outfit and that they wanted the release of Pakistani militant leader Maulana Masood Azhar (later responsible for the attack on the Indian parliament). The kidnapping electrified the world and for the first time put the global spotlight on Kashmir. Within four days, one of the prisoners had made a hair-raising escape. A month on, was found, beheaded by his captors who had carved their name into his flesh. In the background, camped out in Delhi, the families of the missing struggled to keep their hopes alive, while international governments negotiated frantically with India, and the army, police and intelligence services tried to follow the trail. But the remaining four hostages were never found, their case forgotten – until now.