Over 7,000 Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) joined in a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on last Sunday to protest against the Central government’s latest proposal to resettle them in Kashmir in different clusters and in mixed localities.
Thousands of KPs – men, women and children – assembled at Jantar Mantar to put across their message to the government loud and clear: that they will return to Kashmir but not on terms dictated by separatists who drove them out from their homes and hearths. They say they are the state subjects of J&K and free citizens of India and it is they who will decide as to when, where and how they may want to return.
At the onset of the armed Islamist insurgency in 1989-90, Kashmiri Pandits were targeted in hundreds. Men were murdered en masse and hundreds of women were brutally raped. In a clear attempt to ethnically cleanse an entire community of over 3,50,000 KPs, they were forced to flee their homes. Most of their properties were either destroyed or occupied, and usurped. Over 10,000 KP homes and 400 temples were destroyed by terrorists and Jihadis who relentlessly targeted the community.
Even after their mass exodus in 1990, Pandits became targets of orchestrated massacres. That is why it is important today that they feel secure when they return to the Valley and their views taken into cognizance.
Through their gathering, Kashmiri Pandits urge the Central government, as a vital prerequisite to its plan to enable their return, to order a trial for all the heinous crimes committed against the community at the hands of Islamist extremists, who still remain unpunished. Their particular demand is to reopen the cases against JKLF terrorist Farooq Ahmed Dar (alias Bitta Karate). KPs demands this as a critical confidence-building measure for the community. They want Bitta Karate to be put on trial immediately for his confessed killings of more than 20 Kashmiri Pandits. It is a sad reality that no FIRs have been filed in over 80% of the cases of killings of KPs. Even to this day, the community is awaiting justice because not even one has been punished for the killings of KPs.
Manoj Bhan, general secretary JKVM and one of the main organisers, said that government should speak to KP's first before making any plan to rehabilitate them in Valley. A commission should be set up to probe the genocide of KPS from 1986.
The three key take aways from this rally were: 1. Kashmiri Pandits unanimously reject the latest proposal of the Central government for their rehabilitation in mixed townships. The community is united in the demand that they will not return to the Valley until the terms are arrived at in consultation with them. Governments, both at the state and Centre, must speak to the community leaders before formulating any plan for their return.
2. State government must reopen prosecution cases against all those who were involved in the killings of Kashmiri Pandits.
3. Government of India must institute a commission of inquiry to pinpoint the responsibility for the genocide of KPs that led to their exodus from Kashmir.
Among the many organisations and individuals participating, key organisations involved were: Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch, All India Kashmiri Samaj, Panun Kashmir and Roots in Kashmir.
Parikshit Koul, senior organiser, said whole Kashmir is ours and we will go back with our conditions and terms. Nobody can dictate terms with them. Col Ten Tikoo, vice president AIKS, said and requested the Central Government to reopen all the cases of genocide with KPs.
While thousands travelled from across India to be part of this demonstration, international Kashmiri Hindu community supported the initiative on social media. Lakshmi Kaul, founder of Kashmiri Pandits Cultural Society UK and her team members tirelessly carried out the social media campaign to add strength to the initiative. Anupama Handoo, leading the social media campaign from KPCS, UK said, "It was a great team effort and a true demonstration of our unity and one voice."
