Hindus In Kashmir Are Protesting A Man's Death, Demanding Security From Militants

Kashmiri Pandits protesting for better security in the wake of a man’s death, allegedly by militants. Photo by Basit Zargar

SRINAGAR, Jammu-Kashmir — Protests by Kashmiri Hindus, also known as Kashmiri Pandits, have continued daily since the killing of Kashmiri Hindu Rahul Bhat on May 12 by, police allege, militants fighting against the Indian rule in Kashmir.

Hundreds of Pandit government employees with families are protesting and demanding security. They also want the Indian government to transfer them out of Kashmir to the nearby lowlands of Jammu — where more Kashmiri Hindus live — until they feel safer living in Kashmir among the Muslim-majority population and militants who oppose Indian rule.

Protests are prominently taking place in exclusive colonies of Kashmiri Pandits guarded by security forces at Sheikhpora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district and Baramulla in north Kashmir.

Angry Kashmiri Pandits confronting the security personnel at several places are alleging that the police have been restricting them in their enclaves.

On May 13, police threw tear gas shells to disperse the Pandits who were marching towards the busy airport road.

“One person has been beaten up by the police,” said Ashwani Kaul, one of the protesting Pandits. “He was bleeding — what’s our crime?

“We are seeking justice for our brother who has been killed. We are not criminals. Let them beat us. We are not going to end our agitation.”

The landlocked region is divided between India and Pakistan. India rules the Valley of Kashmir and Hindu-dominated Jammu region, and territory in the west is ruled by Pakistan. India and Pakistan both claim the region in full.

On August 5, 2019, Jammu-Kashmir’s special status was ended by the Indian parliament. The region was split into two union territories, and the government imposed a strict communication blackout for six months — not only disrupting communications with the outside world but also limiting work and school for many. The paring down of Jammu-Kashmir’s special status was followed by the introduction of new domicile and land laws allowing non-Kashmiris to settle in Kashmir. But for the indigenous Pandit population, nothing really changed.

In many places across Kashmir, Pandits held candlelight vigils. In Jammu, angry Pandits confronted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s leaders during the last rites of Rahul Bhat. The BJP government has ordered a probe into the killing and a job to be provided for Bhat’s widow.

Besides demanding that Kashmir’s governor come to hear them out in person, the protestors are also demanding compensation for the family of Rahul Bhat. Some of them have threatened to resign from their jobs if they are not transferred out of Kashmir to safer locations in Jammu.

Police said Kashmiri Pandits protesting against the killing of Rahul Bhat by terrorists neglected the pacification requests by administration and were determined to block the airport road, which forced the police to hurl tear gas shells to disperse them.

Former Chief Minister of Kashmir Omar Abdullah tweeted:

It’s shameful that legitimate & justified protests are met with a heavy-handed response. This is now new for the people of Kashmir because when all the administration has is a hammer every problem resembles a nail. If the LG’s Govt can’t protect KPs (Kashmiri Pandits) they have a right to protest.

Another former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted:

Wanted to visit Budgam to express my solidarity with Kashmiri pandits protesting against GOI’s (government Of India’s) failure to protect them. Have been put under house arrest as the fact that Kashmiri muslims and pandits empathise with each other’s pain doesn’t fit into their vicious communal narrative.

Twelve years ago, a scheme for resettling Pandits in Kashmir was launched during the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government. It was seen as the most significant effort made for the return of Kashmiri Pandits to Kashmir.

There were 6,000 Kashmiri Pandits given government jobs over time for settling in Kashmir with their families. The government gave transit accommodations for their rehabilitation. Most of them are living in Kashmir in colonies guarded by security forces.

Kashmir had acceded to India at the time of India’s independence in 1947 rather than merging with a Muslim Pakistan. Nearly 7 million people live in the Kashmir Valley, 97% of them Muslims. About 50,000 people have been killed in conflict, mainly between Indian security forces and Kashmiri militant separatists in the last three decades, according to government figures.

Around three lakh Kashmiri Pandits fearing for their lives migrated from Kashmir to Jammu and other places after militancy erupted in Kashmir.

Rahul Bhat, in his 30s, was among those who took benefit of the employment scheme. His inconsolable wife, Meenakshi, told reporters in Jammu that a conspiracy behind her husband’s killing cannot be ruled out.

“There was not a single security guard to stop the gunman who attacked him,” Meenakshi said. “I had asked him to leave his job. But, he was a dedicated government employee and everybody respected him a lot.

“I spoke to him 10 minutes before he was shot. Initially I was told that he has been hit in the shoulder — I felt a bit relieved that he would at least survive. But that was not the case. I am all alone now. He was my sole support.”

Zaffar Iqbal is a journalist based in Kashmir, India. He has reported for 18 years on armed encounters, environmental issues, crime, politics, culture and human rights. He’s formerly the bureau chief of Jammu and Kashmir for NDTV.