A highly literate community, they were disproportionately represented in the Kashmir bureaucracy as well as in the teaching, legal, and medical professions, prompting resentment among other communities in the Valley, especially Muslims, who comprise over 95 percent of the population. Sheikh Abdullah had died in 1982, and the leadership of the National Conference passed on to his son Farooq Abdullah, who won the 1983 election. A majority of the Pandit refugees still live in refugee camps with spiralling health and economic problems. The Hindu minority in Muslim majority Kashmir shrank from an estimated 140,000 in the late 1980s to 19,865 by 1998. They dream of returning to their old wooden homes surrounded by chinar trees and ringed by snow-capped mountains. A township of two-room tenements called Jagti was built in Jammu in the last decade to house 4,000-5,000 Pandit families who remained there. Log in to edit articles at Historical India. The two events the flight of the Pandits and the Gawkadal massacre took place within 48 hours, but for years, neither community could accept the pain of the other, and in some ways, still cannot, as each continues to talk past the other. What was the UN event representatives of Kailasa attended? These organisations are involved in rehabilitation of the community in the valley through peace negotiations, mobilisation of human rights groups and job creation for the Pandits. Happy Editing! Short answer: Because of carelessness, lack of courage/desire and vote-bank politics of State and Central government. Long Answer: To know the reas It is widely believed that the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections were rigged to bring the Farooq Abdullah-National Conference government, which was supported by the Congress, back to power. The exodus took place at the same time that the BJP was upping the ante across northern India, and over the years, the plight of Kashmiri Pandits has become a potent Hindutva issue. Swamy's remarks come in the midst of a controversy over the movie 'The Kashmir [71], There are many references to the wearing of jewellery by both sexes, but a significant omission from them is any record of the dejihor worn on the ear by women today as a symbol of their being married. [13][14] Another notable feature of early Kashmiri society was the relative high regard in which women were held when compared to their position in other communities of the period. He announced that if they chose to stay back, he would not be able to guarantee their safety. There is little incentive for us to return to the Valley, says the Pandit teacher, drawing attention to the insecurity, lack of economic development and job prospects in Kashmir. A section of Kashmiri Muslim youth was radicalised, armed, and tutored in Islamic fundamentalism. It is an undeniable fact that the same sentiments that led to the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus are very much alive and thriving today. Kashmir has also been a land of Sun worship with shrines such as Martand Sun Temple established by Lalitaditya Muktapida. The Kashmiri Pandits (also known as Kashmiri Brahmins)[7] are a group of Kashmiri Hindus and a part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community of India. Those Pandits in service who felt threatened were free to leave their stations; they would continue to be paid salary. [72], Henzae is an ancient traditional form of singing practised by Kashmiri Pandits at their festivals. While they were left unharmed for the most part, terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba massacred Pandits at Sangrampora (1997), Wandhama (1998), and Nandimarg (2003). Speaking truth to power requires allies like you. Vivek Agnihotri's film, The Kashmir Files, explores the tragic history of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, positing itself as an account of the events that transpired in the Valley in the early 1990s. The government should set up self-contained townships exclusively for returning Pandits, Dhar says. The Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) stepped up its activities, and the hanging of the militant leader Maqbool Bhat in 1984 added to the sense of foreboding. The Valleys BJP leader Tika Lal Taploo was shot dead on September 13. At the minimum level, these terms would include security to life and property and, at a broader level, a consensual rehabilitation scheme.[ref]. At that time, Mr Chowdhury said, the then Congress president and Leader of Opposition Rajiv Gandhi had raised his voice against the exodus of people from Kashmir, and asked the then government to stop it "anyhow", warning that people of the country would not accept it. A large number of Hindu houses were attacked, shops looted, and temples vandalised in Vanpoh, Anantnag, and Sopore, among others. [38][39][40], In 2009 the Oregon Legislative Assembly passed a resolution to recognise 14 September 2007, as Martyrs Day to acknowledge ethnic cleansing and campaigns of terror inflicted on non-Muslim minorities of Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists seeking to establish an Islamic state. However, the problems of Kashmiri Pandits have not Twenty of Pakistans poorest districts have been chosen for implementation of the Ministry of Plannings development plan for 2022-2027. Asia, South [73][74], The Kashmiri Pandits have a tradition of consuming meat, including mutton and fish, but they obey restrictions laid down by the shastras of not eating the meat of forbidden animals such as beef and pork. Importantly, Jammu and Kashmirs status has changed. Some 800 families have remained in Kashmiri Pandits observe Holocaust Day to mark 30 years of mass exodus from Valley. On May 12, a gunman walked into a government office in central Kashmirs Chadoora town. The KPSS has placed the number of Kashmiri Pandits killed by militants from 1990 to 2011 at 399, the majority during 1989-90. Matters came to a head on January 19. Socially and morally too the court and the country had sunk to the depths of degradations. On January 20, the first stream began leaving the Valley with hastily packed belongings in whatever transport they could find. Successive governments in New Delhi and Srinagar have attempted to draw displaced Pandits back to the Valley. Thirty years after they fled their homes in the Valley, an older generation of Kashmiri Pandits continue to yearn for the lives they led before the exodus. [23], D.L. Harmukh is traditionally revered by Kashmiri Pandits and in 2009 there was an attempt by them to revive pilgrimages to the site. Journalist-lawyer Prem Nath Bhat was shot dead near his house in Anantnag shortly after. The disturbances within the social fabric of the Valley was met with some excesses from the Indian security forces. It was not until the fourteenth century that Muslim rule was finally established in the Valley and when this happened it did not occur primarily as a consequence of invasion so much as because of internal problems resulting from the weak rule and corruption endemic in the Hindu Lohara dynasty. kashmiri pandit man Latest Breaking News, Pictures, Videos, and Special Reports from The Economic Times. The exodus of people from Kashmir Valley began only after then Jammu and Kashmir governor Jagmohan asked them, especially Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs, to immediately after Independence in 1947. This article is protected. Caps were worn, as well as a type of turban referred to as a shirahshata, while footwear consisted of leather shoes and boots, worn with socks. [27][28], In the 1981 census, the Kashmir Division had 124,078 Hindus, the majority of whom were Pandits. Read | Kashmiri Pandits observe Holocaust Day to mark 30 years of mass exodus from Valley. [11][12] Prompted by the growth of Islamic militancy in the valley, large numbers left in the exodus of the 1990s. Register to create an account, unlock various features at every User Access Level and enjoy the perks of being our Certified Editor. They have announced resettlement packages promising financial support and jobs for those who returned. The efforts to resettle Pandits in the Valley in the last two decades have seen ghetto-like structures come up in various parts of Kashmir, ringed by concertina wire with heavy security, underlining that normal life is impossible. In the lead-up to the events of 1990, Kashmir was in ferment. Tension and killings in various parts of the state are ongoing phenomena. A lot has changed since then but the more things change the more they remain the same. Congress was in opposition during Kashmir Pandit exodus: Madhya Pradesh ex-CM Digvijaya Singh Waiting for the triple product launch & spec reveal by OnePlus on 28th April? [30] Other authors have suggested a higher figure for the exodus, ranging from the entire population of over 150,000,[31] to 190,000 of a total Pandit population of 200,000,[32] to a number as high as 800,000. The Kashmiri Pandit community decided to leave. Citizens of Jammu took to the streets to protest the erection of the masjid on the secretariat premises. [36][37], Some Hindus across India tried to help the Pandits. Today, Tickoo says there are fewer than 3,400 Pandits in Kashmir. People of india indian govt just stood watching kps haunted down killed and forced into exile. It were saffron communals people like RSS VHP BAJRAN Those who chose to the first of these were told to leave their women behind. [9][60] Those who had means rebuilt their lives elsewhere in the country Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Ahmedabad have Pandit populations, also Jaipur and Lucknow or went abroad. What do we know about him? Unfortunately, no such appeal came, only an announcement that to ensure the security of Pandits, refugee camps were being set up in every district of the Valley, and Pandits who felt threatened could move to these camps rather than leave the Valley. Even today "There has been continuing lack of engagement by the government of India with the community. The Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits Ghulam Mohammad Shah came into power after snatching the position from his brother-in-law Farooq Abdullah and became for Us, opposition to such Pandit-only settlements. Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday sought to corner the ruling BJP over the exodus of minorities from Kashmir in 1990s, saying then Leader of Opposition Rajiv Gandhi had urged the then VP Singh government to intervene and stop the "atrocities" being committed on Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs. Surinder Kaul, Co-founder of GKPD, said that Kashmiri Pandits' genocide is continuing even today and every death is bringing the community closer to extinction. The killings of innocent natives and ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandits must be seen in the context of the deeper intent to secure the secession of Jammu and Kashmir. However, Zulju was probably not a Muslim. Amid great power competition, life in the China-Russia borderlands reveals the paradoxes underpinning the Beijing-Moscow friendship. In 2020, Kashmiri became an official language in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the first time.. Kashmiri is closely related to Poguli and Kishtwari, which are spoken in the An estimated 100,000 Kashmiri Pandits have reportedly fled the Valley. As many as 75,343 Kashmiri Pandits are estimated to have fled in January 1990, with about 70,000 more following till March, as per the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti. Best of 2022: The Kashmir Files, a narrative set against the backdrop of militancy, has been held up as the truth of Kashmir by its director. Sanjay Kumar, the father of three minor children who worked as a bank security guard, was shot dead in Achan WebThe Kashmiri Pandit exodus remains the biggest instance of ethnic cleansing of a community 1989, the Central Government completely lost its authority in JK. Kashmir was in ferment. The hotly contested circumstances of their departure between January and March 1990, the numbers, and the issue of their return are an important side to the Kashmir story that has fed into the Hindu-Muslim polarisation in India over the years, in turn fuelling the Hindu-Muslim chasm in the Valley. [34] Many of the refugee Kashmiri Pandits have been living in abject conditions in refugee camps of Jammu. However, 30 years after they were forced to flee their homes, the safe and dignified return of Pandits to the Kashmir Valley remains a distant dream. China is drawing lessons from Russias invasion of Ukraine. They wanted sharia rule in Kashmir, Dhar said, adding that the Pandits had no choice but to leave their homes. Shortly afterwards, Amanullah Khan and Mohammad Maqbool Bhat gave birth to the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) in 1977, whose goal was to work towards the 'liberation' of Kashmir from India and Pakistan. Twenty-four Hindus, including two children, were lined up outside their houses and shot dead by terrorists who belonged to the outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba. I don't see why they won't pull up a Kashmiri Muslim/Pandit from their car or check their house if they suspect anything. The 19th of January, 2020 marks the 30th anniversary of the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus from the valley. Just around 600 Pandit families stayed in the Valley. "These terrorists played a role in genocide.nation wants to know," he said. The Pandits insist that they will return to the Valley only when they are able to determine that the situation is conducive to their safety. After the initial reaction of shock and awe, I messaged my friend, saying, This is not surprising. With hastily packed belongings and terror in their hearts, Kashmiri Pandits who survived the night fled the Valley on 20 January morning and the weeks that followed, becoming refugees in their homeland. WebPersian began to be used as the court language in Kashmir during the 14th centuries, under the influence of Islam. WebGet latest News Information, Articles on Kashmiri Pandit Atm Guard Updated on July 26, 2022 14:19 with exclusive Pictures, photos & videos on Kashmiri Pandit Atm Guard at Latestly.com - Page 2 The Hizbul Mujahideen put up posters ordering all Hindus to leave the Valley and lists with names of Pandits to be eliminated were circulated, Dhar recalled. Southeast Asia, Asia Out of the three, two date back to times before Narendra Modi came to power. [54] Ikkjutt Jammu, a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, advocates for two Union Territories in Kashmir, one being Panun Kashmir for Kashmiri Hindus. PM Rajiv Gandhis tenure ended on 2nd December 1989. Anti-India sentiment has undergone changes not just in its intensity but the way it is articulated. Islamist militants began targeting Kashmiri Hindus - upper-caste Pandits - who were a minority group, in the 1990s. Some scholars have suggested a higher figure of approximately 150,000 for [42] The local organisation of pandits in Kashmir, Kashmir Pandit Sangharsh Samiti after carrying out a survey in 2008 and 2009, said that 399 Kashmiri Pandits were killed by insurgents from 1990 to 2011 with 75% of them being killed during the first year of the Kashmiri insurgency. They have not done so because the situation in the Valley remains unstable and they fear a risk to their lives. Learn More. Besides being the right thing to do, apologies bring diplomatic and political gains in a region haunted by colonial and imperial atrocities. Armed militants, dressed in army fatigues, infiltrated a colony of Kashmiri Pandits in Pulwama's Nadimarg on 23 March 2003. Foreign affairs, defence and communications remained the preserve of the central government. Speeches were made extolling Pakistan and the supremacy of Islam, and against Hinduism. Sanjay Tickoo, a Kashmiri Pandit was barely 20-years-old in 1989-90, when he witnessed what came to be known as the "Kashmiri Pandit Exodus". Jammu and Kashmir being the only Muslim majority state in whole of India, the protection of minorities and their living peacefully, in their homeland, is crucial for India to remain as a Secular Democratic State. Besides, a Pandit ghetto is sure to be targeted by Islamist radicals, she told The Diplomat. The fleeing Pandits did not think they would never return to the Valley. Habibullah denied this and told them that the Pandits could hardly be expected to stay when every mosque was blaring threats and members of their community had been murdered. The LG administration and the central government are primarily concerned with addressing security problems. That changed in 1989-90. In another incident of violence on 25 January, a week into the Janata Dal governor's rule, 4 Indian Air Force (IAF) officers were gunned down while 40 personnel were injured in a militant attack at a bus stop in Rawalpora. 22 Mar 2022. The debate over the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits has been reignited after the release of 'Kashmir Files'. And the Prime Minister has said that the truth is coming out. It has been a long time since somebody has edited this article and is pending for moderation. But local politicians said the situation was far from normal, and ISI-sponsored Pro-Pakistan outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, was founded in 1989. In addition, there are hundreds of families living in government tenements in Purkhoo on the outskirts of Jammu, in Nagrota and in Muthi. In 2011 as per government estimates, about 2,700 to 3,400 Pandits were in the Valley. [ref][ref][ref] Events were also held at Jagti and Muthi migrant camps. The rigged election of 1987 after which Abdullah formed the government was a turning point at which militants took the upper hand. [59], Scholar Christopher Snedden states that the Pandits made up about 6 per cent of the Kashmir Valley's population in 1947. The KPSS has placed the number of Kashmiri Pandits killed by militants from 1990 to 2011 at 399, the majority during Indian forces are specially ordered to keep high surveillance on Kashmir and Kashmiris. The Genocide of Kashmiri Hindus who are also called Kashmiri Pandits, was seventh ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits by radical Islamists in Kashmir Valley. What is a whip in a state Assembly or Parliament? Enjoying this article? The government of India has identified three major schemes taken up by it for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. [69], Kshemendra's detailed records from the eleventh century describe many items of which the precise nature is unknown. They have now become refugees in their own country. Us, Write WebThe Exodus It was 19 th of January, 1990 and days were cold and nights bitter, though there was no snow on the ground. 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The flight continued until 2000. But theres just as much, if not more, tracking in the virtual world.". Major media outlets have that the kidnapping was a fake one as the kidnapping took place just after 5 days Sayeed took the office. Hence, the exodus of Kashmiri Pandit started The migrants included some Pandits, although it is possible that some of this community relocated for economic reasons as much as to escape the new rulers. In mosques and mass rallies, people shouted inflammatory and anti-Pandit slogans. Newly appointed, he had arrived in Srinagar on January 19. Jammu, UPDATED: Oct 8, 2021 18:18 IST. Most Popular. Pandits are apprehensive that they will be targeted by Islamists if they return home. On January 21, the CRPF gunned down 160 Kashmiri Muslim protesters at the Gawkadal Bridge, which has come to be known as the worst massacre in the long history of the conflict in Kashmir. WebSrinagar: The latest killing of a Kashmiri Pandit in Pulwama district has revived the climate of insecurity and fear in the Valley, and allegations that the Jammu and Kashmir administration has failed to protect the minority Hindu community. Sheth, the former director of the Center for the Study of Developing Societies in India (CSDS), lists Indian communities that constituted the middle class and were traditionally "Urban and professional" (following professions like doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, etc.) Agnihotri's rendition of the exodus, which claims that it is "based on true stories," however, makes a few glaring deviations from the facts known about the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits. Waves of panic hit the community, especially after a local newspaper published an anonymous message, allegedly from the Hizb-ul Mujahideen, asking Pandits to leave. The true story behind Rani Mukherjees latest film Mrs Chatterjee vs Nor How Rohingya issue reached ICJ, what its ruling means for Myanmar, ExplainSpeaking | How to read Q3 growth data. [10], According to Indian government, more than 60,000 families are registered as Kashmiri migrants including some Sikh and Muslim families.