Author - Tusharika Singh Gaharvar
Who are the Kashmiri Pandits ?
Group of Kashmiri Hindus are known as Kashmiri pandits. They are part of Shaivite Saraswat brahmin community. They belong to the group of Panch Gauda Brahmana groups, from the beautiful valley of Kashmir, a mountainous region in Jammu and Kashmir. Before exodus of Kashmiri pandits, they originally live in Kashmir. These Kashmiri pandits are only remaining Hindu community who lived in native to Kashmir.[1]
Gathering of storm: Direction towards exodus
In 1975, Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdullah plans were opposed by Pro-Pakistan jamaat-e-Islami and pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on the integration of Jammu and Kashmir into India.
In 1980, Abdullah began Islamisation of Kashmir. His government started changing the names of villages from their original names. About 2,500 villages named were converted into Islamic names. In the autobiography of Abdullah, he referred Kashmiri pandits as ‘mukhbir’ which means ‘informers of the Indian government’.
The birth of Muslim United Front, the frontline of activists Jamaat-e-Islami, developed a fear in Kashmir. They propagated their idea during the state assembly election in which they mentioned Islamic resistance movement and Pakistan ISI actively involved in it. The Pakistan ISI sponsor a terrorist group named Hizbul-e-Mujahideen (HM). JKLF was in support of ISI and they used to carry out a huge disinformation among the Kashmiri Muslim population by which they can easily grab the support of Kashmiri Muslims which help them in exodus of pandits from the valley. In their training camps, they used to spread anti-Hindu sentiments, by convincing the mass to cleanse the valley from these Hindu population, no matter how insignificant they are in number. There should not be any Hindu in the valley.
On September 1989, BJP leader and lawyer Tika Lal Tapoo was brutally murdered outside his residence which instilled fears in minority community of Hindus i.e., Kashmiri pandits. Three weeks later, Nikalanth Ganjoo, retired judge was killed during day time. Whether it is coincidence or not, Nikalanth Ganjoo was the same judge who ruled the death sentence to Maqbool Bhat (Founding leader of JKLF).
Meantime, newspapers, posters and mosques issued a declaration in which Kashmiri pandits are given three choices: Ralive, Tsaliv ya Galive which means convert to Islam, leave Kashmir or would be killed. [2]
Terrific night for Kashmiri pandits :
Around 9 pm on 19th January 1990 a cold and terrifying night for Kashmiri pandits. The life of Kashmiri pandits were twirled into worst nightmare in the valley. Kashmiri pandits became the victim of political rivalries, militant insurgency and radical Islam. They were driven out of their own mother land. This is considered to be the most unrivalled exodus in the Indian history.
Their predicament is convoluted, and it is very difficult to tell as the valley was ubiquitous with murders, gangrapes, kidnapping and innumerable slogans which was pro Pakistan through loud speakers by the extremists which was in favour of Pakistan and against the Kashmiri pandits.
Thousands of Kashmiri Muslims which includes young, old children gushed into the streets with a slogan ‘death to India’, it continued till morning. It was pretty much clear that it is impossible for Kashmiri pandits to survive in the valley.
No law and order were there on the valley of Kashmir as the police were deserted from their posts and pandits were their own saviour. Kashmiri pandits found themselves abandoned once again after independence to their providence.
On 21st January, two days after Jagmohan took charge as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the Gawadal Massacre took place in which the security forces of India fired at protesters in which all most 50 people were killed. The Hindus who had survived the terrifying night of 19 January were forced to flee from the valley because of the massacre incident.
The political will of Indian government was not in favour to intervene into the incident as on the request of Wajahat Habibullah, a senior Indian administrator appealed to Jagmohan to help the Pandits from leaving the valley in which Jagmohan replied-“ if pandits decided to leave the valley than they will stay in the refugee camps which was set up in Jammu. But if they chose to stay back than he would not be able to guarantee the safety of pandits in the valley”, which clearly indicates that there is no one in the valley who can wipe tears of Kashmiri pandits.[3]
Terrific incidents that took place during exodus :
- Satish tikkoo, a young social worker was killed near his house in February.
- Lassa Kaul, the director of Doordarshan Srinagar was shot dead on 13th February.
- MN Paul, the wife of a BSF personnel, was kidnapped, raped and murdered and her mistake was only that she is the wife of government official.
- Sarwananad Koul Premi, a veteran poet, who translated the Bhagwat Gita into Kashmiri, was butchered communal in the valley along with his son.
What options left for Kashmiri pandits?
Well the helpless Kashmiri pandits were left with no other option but to leave the valley. They are forced to leave their mother land, their houses, properties, jobs, farms etc. They tried to arrange in whatever the means of transport they manage and fled the valley with no single penny in hands, ending up in refugee camps in Jammu.
Still the trouble of pandits does not comes to an end. Thousands of Kashmiri pandit refugees settled into small rooms and obsequious conditions in the refugee camps in Jammu and Delhi provided them by the state government. Many of them moved into proper house from the camps. Well, most of the Kashmiri pandits dreamed to return back to their ancestral land, but failed to do so. But a large number of Kashmiri pandits preferred to stay back to their mother land.
The migrant pandits who decided to leave the valley got all the political attention and benefitted from various schemes introduced by the government like compensation packages that helped them with quotas in education and employment where they went, while the non-migrants, who stayed in the valley became invisible and deprive of all the benefits of government.
What should we call the incident: ‘Genocide’, ‘Exodus’ or ‘Migration’
According to the historian and Author Mridu Rai as the incident took place Kashmiri pandits departure in a short time frame. The most accurate term should be used is exodus. He also explained that migration term suggests a voluntariness to departure, and Kashmiri pandits have suffered a lot and they left the valley because of fear and not voluntarily. Many of the Kashmiri pandits used expulsion as more accurate for description which other used the term of refugees and they were refugees in their own country. While most of them used very extreme words to express the incident of Kashmiri pandits in the valley such terms are ‘genocide’, ‘holocaust’ was used. Even many of them used term ‘ethnic cleansing’. It is very difficult to express the situation in words. As many Kashmiri pandits were driven out from the valley which means it was exodus. Many of the Kashmiri pandits were killed, kidnapped, raped which means it was genocide.
Where were the human rights when Hindus fled Kashmir?
When Kashmiri pandits lost their home, livelihood, farm, jobs etc, the world remained silent. The question arises where were the advocates of human rights when the rights of Kashmiri pandits were taken away? Nobody came for the rescue, no helping hands from anywhere. Nobody raised question when there was blaring that they wanted Hindu women but without Hindu men. Where were the advocates of humanity when men are left with no other option then to kill his wife and daughters so to protect them from the evil?
Kashmiri pandits were given three choices- flee, convert or die. No advocates of human rights raised question on the worst ethnic cleansing of Hindus witnessed in independent India. There were no human rights when Kashmiri pandits have been driven out or silenced. Terrorism is the ultimate opponent of human rights, and the exodus of Kashmiri pandits were nothing but an act of terrorism, and human right cannot and should not take precedence over human life.
Even in the recent, killing of shopkeepers, truck drivers etc in Kashmir by terrorists as they wanted to earn livelihood. And earning livelihood means Kashmiri are moving towards normalcy which is unacceptable for terrorist.[4]
Exodus Aftermath :
After the exodus of Kashmiri pandits took place militancy in Kashmir was increased. The properties of pandits were targeted by the militants. Most of the Kashmiri pandits lost their properties after the exodus from the valley and many of them were unable to go back and sell the properties. The properties of Kashmiri pandits were remained abandon. Kashmiri Hindus continue to fight for their rights and return back to the valley but it never happened. Many of the pandits had hoped to return to their mother land after the situation improved. Many of them live as refugees. Well, there is no wrong if I say that India state and media used the situation of pandits as a tool of propaganda.
As there was higher figure of death of Kashmiri pandits according to the organisation. But scholars rejected the claim and used a rough figure generated by the government of Jammu and Kashmir in which 219 Kashmiri pandits were killed and 24,202 families were migrated out of the valley. But according to the Pandit Organization the death toll of Kashmiri pandits were thousand.
Even after the exodus of Kashmiri pandits, the terror remains same. On march 1997, terrorist drag out seven Kashmiri pandits from their house and killed them. This incident took place in Sangrampora village. In Wandhama village January 1998, 23 Kashmiri pandits, including women and children were shot dead. In 2012, thousands of Kashmiris still thrive in refugee settlements. And I guess nothing much changed even after 30 years struggle of Kashmiri pandits.[5]
Impact after abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir :
On 5th August, 2019 Article 370 abrogated in Kashmir which means restoration of human rights. The Indian constitution is the most liberal document in the world. The Indian constitution was not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir in totality as long as Article 370 is in force which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Many outlawed were legal before abrogation of Article 370, after abrogation J&K have been liberated. Now sex trafficking, child marriage etc were outlawed. Now Kashmiri women and children are given the same rights as the rest of Indians. Now, the rights are given to LGBTQ. Now the Kashmiri are given same rights and treated same as the rest of Indians.
Now we only wish that Kashmiri pandits were given their rights of which they are deprived for almost 30 years. Helping them to regain their lost status again, with honour and dignity because they deserve it. And make a way so that they return to the valley.[6]
Appeal for ethnic-distinct minority: Kashmiri pandits
This is an appeal to all the individuals, groups, institution. This is an appeal to all the organisations of human rights, government, and all the peace loving, secular and democratic nations to break their silence and speak out for the Kashmiri pandits, to save this ancient ethnic- religious minority of the world. They are those distinct community who were made refugee in their own country, and current scenario of pandits is that they are facing a lot dispersal, disintegration. This is an appeal by the intellectuals to preserve the distinct community who have a history of more than five thousand year. To break the silence for the minority community who have rich cultural tradition and a unique religious philosophy of peace and amity amongst peoples. This appeal brings out a vivid detail about the minorities suffered- threat, abduction, extortion, tortures etc. Over one thousand members of the Kashmiri pandits were brutally killed by the terrorist and thousands of them died in the camps for the want of basic amenities for the survival. This is an appeal for the thousands of youth who scattered in search of livelihood. This is an appeal because there is a fear among us by looking at the present rate of dispersal of the community is disintegrating, and we need to preserve them before facing total extinction. It is high time to stand and speak out for Kashmiri pandits, help them to regain their lost status and get rehabilitated with honour and dignity back to the valley, back to their home land because they deserve it. And now its duty of every individual to speak for the human rights of Kashmiri pandits.[7]
References :
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