Day 174: Relocation to ‘Safer Place’ Kashmiri Pandits’ strike continues

Day 174: Relocation to ‘Safer Place’ Kashmiri Pandits’ strike continues

Kashmiri Pandit employees, who fled the Valley following targeted killings, continued their protest at the relief commissioner’s office seeking their relocation to the safer environs of Jammu. They assembled at the relief commissioner’s office on Canal Road and staged a sit-in to press for their demand of relocation to Jammu.

Nearly 4,000 Kashmiri Pandits were employed in various government departments in Kashmir under PM’s employment package as a part of their rehabilitation in the Valley.

Asha Koul, one of the protesters, said, “We request the government to relocate all the Pandit employees to Jammu from Kashmir because the atmosphere there is not conducive for non-Muslims and outsiders. We don’t want to become sacrificial goats and allow gun-wielding terrorists to kill us and ruin our families.”

Another woman said that core committee members of the protesting Pandits met Jammu divisional commissioner on Tuesday and sought his intervention, but he expressed his “inability to do anything”. “We requested him to arrange a meeting with LG Manoj Sinha so that we can directly convey our grievance to him,” she added.

Ajay Bhat, another protester, said, “Our demand is simple and straight. We want to be relocated to the safe environs of Jammu because situation in Kashmir is not normal. The administration itself says that it will take two to three years for it to restore peace in Valley. We say, take your time but don’t force us to get killed there.” He said that the agitation will be taken to its logical conclusion.

Kashmiri Pandit employees recruited under the Prime Minister’s special rehabilitation package and posted in different parts of the Kashmir said they were soft targets for the terrorists and the government has failed to protect them.

Post-abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, Kashmir has started witnessing selective killings of Hindus and migrant workers. On October 15, Puran Krishan Bhat was gunned down in Shopian. On May 12, terrorists had shot Rahul Bhat inside revenue office In Budgam and on August 18, terrorists killed Sunil Kumar and injured Paitamber Kumar inside an orchard in Shopian.

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