The very survival of the 808 non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit families in the Kashmir Valley is at stake. The Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) has since 2007-2008 been consistently pressing for their legitimate demands that include jobs for the local youth, a social welfare relief package for the most impoverished 150 families and security. Though over 110 memorandums have been submitted, finally the KPSS has to approach the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir High Court to get their demands realised. Though Orders have been passed, the government has still to act on them.
The leadership is now determined to go on a Fast Unto Death from August 22-23,2020 onwards if the demands are not met.
Today, from 11.30 a.m. they are holding a protest march at the Pratap Park, near Lal Chowk, Srinagar.
The Text of the Press Release issued by the KPSS may be read here:
Full Text of the Press Release:
“Survival of Non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandits/Kashmiri Hindus is right now at stake in Kashmir Valley which can lead to chaos and starvation and even psychology issues and in worst cases, deaths among the left out 808 families because some persons in the bureaucracy are showing cold shoulders towards the leftover community for the reasons best known to them since July 2018 till today. Since the 5th of August, 2019 there is a huge vacuum between general public with those bureaucrats who are in decision-making body in the UT of J&K, and left out Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindus are worst sufferers of this vacuum which creates un-necessary hurdles in survival to the leftover community and the reasons behind this vacuum are unknown to all.
“It may be apt to mention here that despite recommendations issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and consecutive directions from Hon’ble High Court of Jammu and Kashmir supported with reports submitted by Two Parliamentary Standing Committees and other likewise recommendations from different offices in favor of left out Kashmiri Pandits / Kashmiri Hindus living in Kashmir Valley are put in dust bins in order to achieve some hidden agenda against for staying back in Kashmir Valle. The irony is that these officers/officials are using their bureaucratic and clerical skills to manipulate the facts to keep their superiors in dark in order to hide their incompetency and manipulative practices particularly in the Department of Disaster Management Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction and are playing with the lives of 808 left out Kashmiri Pandit – Kashmiri Hindu families. The left out Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindu families are made to suffer even after clear recommendation(s) from Central Government and directions from Hon’ble High Court.
“It may be also worth to mention here that Ministry of Home Affairs issued recommendations in the year 2015 and later on Hon’ble High Court passed directions in the year 2016 in favor of left out Kashmiri Pandits but we made to suffer because some officers/officials of the local government do not tolerate our presence in Kashmir Valley as such are pushing us towards the wall and we are forced to choose extreme steps like sitting on fast-unto-death.
“In June 2020 KPSS sent more than a hundred representations / communications starting from 1st of June, 2020 to 10th June, 2020 addressed to the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Home Affairs, His Excellency the Lt. Governor, Chief Secretary, and Secretary DMRR&R. Central Government while taking cognizance to our plea responded back with a fresh recommendation which was forwarded to Government of UT through its Chief Secretary and the Secretary DMRR&R to consider the representation of the applicant organization in light of previous recommendations and implement the same on a priority basis.
To
“On the contrary, the Department of DMRR&R has chosen to neglect the directions and recommendations and the present recommendation is also been put in the dustbin as has been done to the previous MHA recommendation issued in the year 2015 and Hon’ble High Court directions passed in 2016. Not a single effort has been done or communication is issued by the Government of UT in order to resolve the long-pending grievances of the left out Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindu Community living in Kashmir Valley. On the contrary officers of DMRR&R interpret and manipulate the recommendations and directions of the Hon’ble High Court at their own will which suits their malicious agenda against us.
KPSS even knocked the doors of Raj Bhawan since 2018 but no opportunity was provided to plead our petition of injustice against us. It seems that the doors of the highest office are closed for us, for the reasons unknown or our lives do not matter anymore. Recently, when current incumbent His Excellency took charge of Lt. Governor, we used all modes of communication to submit application for appointment on priority but jinx continues for us and the doors of the highest office are still closed for us leaving us on the mercy of few unruly bureaucrats. For the sake of record on 08.08.2020 and 14.008.2020 we submitted formal requests for appointment through Private Secretary to His Excellency, but we did not even receive acknowledgment of the same.
“We the left out Kashmiri Pandits – Kashmiri Hindus appeal media to help us so that the muzzled voice of this Non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandits/Kashmiri Hindus reach to the ears of the persons who are at the helm of affairs so that the administration start the departmental inquiries against those officers/officials who are misleading the top brass bureaucracy in the UT of J&K for their delaying tactics and incompetency which is causing the left out community on verge chaos and starvation and even psychology issues and in worst cases deaths among the left out 808 families.
“Today’s protest is a message for every officer/agency who take our pleas non-seriously with a further warning that if our grievances mentioned in our memorandum dated 12.08.2020 and herein below are not addressed within already given stipulated time KPSS will be forced to go for “Fast-Unto-Death”.
1. Extension of PM’s Job Package and apportionment of 500 posts / one job per family (preferably) criteria for 808 Non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindu Families (already approved by Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India);
2. Providing of Accommodation to all deserving Non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandit – Kashmiri Hindu families (already directed by MHA to the then State Government);
3. Extension/providing of necessary financial assistance to the 808 Non-Migrant Kashmiri Pandit / Kashmiri Hindu families living in Kashmir Valley; and
4. Protection, Preservation, and Restoration of Temples and other religious institutions belonging to the religious minority in Kashmir Valley (As per Hon’ble High Court directions).
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“In the first instance while sending Memorandum dated 12.08.2020, the concerned persons who are at the helm of affairs whether in Centre or in Union Territory have been given a time limit of ten (10) days from the date of receipt via email to finalize and resolve all the issues mentioned above. This can be termed as the first phase of protest which KPSS has started against the erring bureaucracy.
The second phase of protest starts from today i.e. a) to come openly on the road to highlight our long pending demands before the press so that it can reach to deaf ears of some of the Government Officers b) after completion of ten days, if the pending grievances are not resolved then we will go for fast-unto-death.
[[KASHMIRI PANDIT SANGARASH SAMITI available at kpss.kashmir@gmail.com ]]
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