Distress of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs) in Valley continues, KPSS alleges govt unconcern

Image Courtesy: hindustantimes.com

This morning’s tweet by the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), tells a continuing sordid tale. Even as news of continued attacks by insurgents have continued to rise, the tiny Kashmiri Pandit community in the valley continues to be the most vulnerable.

“Another KP non-migrant killed at Chowdhary Gund in Shopiyan .it despite our tweet on 13th October but nothing has been changed on ground zero …” says the angry social media exchange. It goes further, “ DC SHOPIYAN AND SSP SHOPIYAN IS PRESSUREING THE VICTIM FAMILY TO DO LAST RITES OF THE VICTIM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE  AS THEY HAVE TO SHOW NORMALCY IN THE VALLEY”

Sanjay Tickoo, president of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS) has been consistently warning of the high risks being faced by the tiny minority community that are being ignored by the ruling dispensation.

On Saturday, October 15, at 11 a.m., here is what the KPSS informed, “Unidentified persons have reportedly fired upon one Pundit, Poran Krishan Bhat s/o Tarak Nath Bhat r/o ChoudryGund Shopian at his residential premises and he is presently under treatment at the District Hospital Shopian.”

Regular press notes and social medial appeals by the KPSS, especially after October 4, during the much publicised visit of Indian home minister, Amit Shah, point out that “all is not well” for this tiny minority in the valley. On that day, the KPSS had stated what was unsual about this visit was that: a) at the time of the visit there was an attack on Vivek Kumar, a banker; b) an attack on the minority picket in Mirihama, Kuligam; c) and it was for the first time that the KP community was not given a chance to meet the Home Minister.

The ongoing isolation, read abandonment of the approximately 805 families still living in the Valley has been a matter of concern and specific campaign by the Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP).

The escalation of violence against all ordinary Kashmiris, including and specially Pandits has been a cause for concern since last autumn. In April this year, the KPSS had issued a strong statement condemningthe killing of Kashmiri Hindus on April 15. It said that the killings lists that were circulated in mosques in 1990 are still circulated on the internet and social media in 2022. “Just modus operandi has failed but the mentality is the same as what we minorities faced in the early 1990s,” said KPSS President Sanjay Tickoo.He also said that certain vicious and ill-minded people are using a particular religion as a cover to annihilate religious minorities in the Kashmir valley. According to Tickoo these attacks are possible only through the help of the local population. As such, he said the role of the Kashmiri society cannot be denied in the crimes against Kashmiri Pandits.

The KPSS condemned the government for not bothering with the attacks stating that the administration is either not inerested in saving minorities or they are incompetent to handle the situation. Expressing disappointment at the 1990 coalition government for failing to protect the minorities, it said, “In the last three years the same government failed again in securing minorities living in the Kashmir Valley, it indicates the Kashmiri Minorities will again have to leave Kashmir due to failure of Kashmiri Society as well as the administration.”

Misinformation at an unfortune time

Adding to the ailings of the community, The Kashmir Files Director Vivek Agnihotri chose this time to share a tweet where an alleged terrorist group ‘Lashkar-e-Islam’ threatened to kill “kafirs” in Kashmir. News outlets like Amar Ujala, Lokmat News, News18, picked up this news based on Agnihotri’s tweet. However, by Friday afternoon Alt News unearthed many dubious aspects of the letter. The letter was unsigned had a spelling mistake in its English letterhead, showed the logo of another terrorist group – Jamaat-e-Dawa – entirely, had factual errors and resembled a similar letter allegedly issued by the Lashkar-e-Islam in 2016.

While it is true that such a letter was received by Baramulla resident Vijay Raina, the man claimed it was “sent by post”. For these reasons, the authenticity of this letter is questionable. Nonetheless, with the report of Singh’s death, Agnihotri’s tweet comes at an extremely untimely moment.

Related:

Kashmir Hindu dies allegedly at the hands of terrorist gunmen
Kashmir: Suspected militants claim another life
This is what we feared: Sanjay Tickoo on the rising attacks in Kashmir since March
The Kashmir Files: Calls for Muslim genocide ring out in cinema halls, hate brews outside
The Kashmir Files making resident Kashmiri Pandits feel unsafe