Pandit body approaches HC to protect lives of religious minorities

Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), an organisation that represents the Pandits living in the Valley has approached the Chief Justice of the J&K High Court to pass an order to protect the lives of the religious minorities in the Valley.

Amid rising attacks on members of the minority community in the Valley in recent weeks, the KPSS in a representation to the Chief Justice has sought intervention and taking cognizance of the issue related to the killing of religious minorities living in Kashmir, “who are becoming victims of terrorism and failure of UT/ Central Administration.”

“On the one hand, every member of the religious minority is under direct threat from the terrorists, and on the other, the UT/ Central Administration has failed to secure the life of religious minorities in Kashmir. Nearly 12 attacks have been done on the local religious minorities apart from those who came to Kashmir for their bread and butter,” the petition reads.

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“On 08.06.2020, Shri Ajay Pandita (Bharti) who was a Sarpanch in one of the Villages in District Anantnag was killed and from then till 31.05.2022 nearly 12 persons from the local religious minority were attacked out of which 11 died and one was severely injured,” it added.

The KPSS also alleged that the government was not allowing the community members to leave the Valley despite rising attacks on them. “The Kashmiri Pandits / Hindus want to leave Kashmir but the government is not allowing it. The government blocked the roads, used electric currents to barricade the walls of the transit camps, the main doors of the transit camps are closed from outside with locks and similar reports have been seen in the recent past from a few days,” the representation reads.

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The Pandit body had demanded that all the concerned officers/officials be summoned to explain which sort of policy and mechanism they derived from June 2, 2020, when Ajay Pandita was killed.

“The UT / Central Government be directed to move/relocate religious minorities living in Kashmir outside the Valley as they are under direct threat from the terrorists. To investigate all the targeted killings which happened since 08.06.2020 and all the officers and officials whose involvement/lapse is in the preliminary allegations be suspended without any further delay and an SIT be constituted to submit its report within stipulated time monitored by the Hon’ble High Court,” it demanded.

The KPSS also demanded to investigate all the transfers prior to 12.05.2022 “which were done on the behest of some blue-eyed persons which indicates that the persons in the administration were having a clear idea that the situation in Kashmir is going to worsen which led to the killing of religious minorities in the Valley.”