Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, was shot dead in the government office he worked at, raising concerns among the community. The latest targeted killing of Hindus has increased in the valley and ignited protests by the Hindu community. Questions are raised about the safety and the maintenance of law and order in the state.
Highlights:
- Targeted killings on the rise in J&K by militants.
- Protests erupted across Jammu and Kashmir.
- Kashmiri Pandits seek relocation to safer places outside the valley.
The year 2022 saw a staggering 22 targeted killings in the Kashmir valley, including government officials, teachers and police authorities.
Militancy has skyrocketed and the J&K police stated that the militants are “frustrated” and hence targeting unarmed police officials, sarpanches and teachers. J&K Police DGP Dilbag Singh mentioned that the terrorists wants to make sure their presence is felt.
Under the Prime Minister’s employment package announced in 2008, over 4000 Kashmiri Pandits were allotted jobs in various departments in the valley.
Threatened by the killings, the Kashmiri Pandits staged a protest on Monday demanding a relocation outside the valley until peace is restored. A month after the death of Rahul Bhat, the Pandits still refuse to join duty in the valley fearing target attacks.
The 22 people killed also included a Kashmiri Pandit, Rahul Bhat, who worked at the Tehsil office in Chadoora, was gunned down inside the office by Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists.
The list also includes four migrants, members of the panchayat, police personnel, a CRPF officer, an army soldier and three local residents. The rise of target killings triggered a widespread protests by hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits asking, “aakhir kabtak?”
A Hindu teacher shot dead:
Rajni Bala, a 36 year old teacher, was shot dead by suspected militants outside her school in J&K’s Kulgam district. Bala was appointed as a teacher under SC category in 2009.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief minister Omar Abdullah considered the failure of the Prime Minister’s employment scheme for Kashimiri Pandits a personal failure.
Fayaz Ahmad, the school’s headmaster, said, “The students were assembling for the morning prayer. I was also coming down when I heard a sound as if a firecracker had burst.
Suddenly, the students started crying out aloud, saying they saw she had been hit by a bullet while some of the girls fainted.”
A policeman and a TV artist killed:
In Srinagar’s Soura area, a police officer, Saifullah Qadri, sustained bullet injuries and died during treatment. The suspected militants opened fire at him injuring his 9 year old daughter who survived during the crime.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that perpetrators of this terror act will be held accountable soon. However, the killers still remain untraced.
In another terror act, TV artist Amreen Bhat was killed by the militants in the Soura neighborhood. Bhat was killed in her own house where the suspectes barged in and shot her in Budgam district. The local leaders condemned the heinous act including Omar Abdullah. The attack came a day after Qadri’s killing.
Targeted killings on the rise:
The police claimed that 9 cases were traced to militants and were killed. Ali Mohammad Ganai, a policeman, Sameer Ahmad Bhat, a sarpanch, Vishal Kumar, a CRPF personnel, Satish Kumar Singh, a member of the Rajput community, Mukhar Ahmad, a CRPF personnel are few of the names who succumbed to the terror attacks under the directions of LeT.
Protests broke out demanding a relocation of the Kashmiri Pandits to a safer zone with protection on Monday at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
The Hindu community feared the back-to-back targeted killings in May this year, which included two Hindus from Jammu, one Kashmiri Pandit, one Hindu from Rajasthan and three local Muslim policemen.
Several employees refused to go back to their jobs and staged another protest on Monday holding the placards that read, “Don’t rehabilitate us at the cost of our blood! Orphaning our children! Widowing our wives! and the only solution is relocation anywhere outside the Valley.”
The exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 has traumatized the community who hoped to return to their homeland after the abrogation of article 370.
However, the recent spate of targeted killings created a fear of another exodus looming around the corner. Questions raised to the government remain unanswered as the Pandits suffer in vain.
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