The killing of Rahul Bhat, a Revenue Department worker in Kashmir’s Chandoora space of Budgam district, Thursday has not solely come as a setback to the Center and Union Territory authorities’s plans for return and resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits within the Valley, but additionally their oft-repeated declare of improved scenario there .
Nearly a dozen Kashmiri Pandits, together with three authorities workers, have been killed by militants for the reason that Central authorities in August 2019 moved to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories and abrogated Article 370, which assured particular standing to the erstwhile state.
Even migrant Pandits attribute the spat of focused killings to the rhetoric created by mainstream politicians, together with the BJP. A pacesetter of the Pandit neighborhood, King C Bharti, based mostly in Jammu however lively within the Valley, mentioned: “Though none of them has something to do with politics, the rhetoric by some, particularly pro-government politicians, that they’ve damaged the The spine of militancy makes them sacrificial goats. Militants goal them so as to make their presence felt.”
Another Kashmiri Pandit chief mentioned that the shrill rhetoric additionally causes the bulk Muslim inhabitants within the Valley to rally, citing “atrocities” in opposition to the neighborhood in Kashmir and elsewhere, leaving minorities much more insecure.
Around 6,000 migrant Kashmiri Pandits are estimated to be posted somewhere else within the Valley underneath a 2008 Prime Minister job package deal, a lot of them dwelling there with their households. Bhat’s killing has reignited questions in regards to the “futility” of those low-paying, high-risk jobs.
Kashmiri Pandits protest the latest killings within the Valley. (Express Photo by Shuaib Masoodi)
“We are being posted there within the title of jobs, solely to get killed, and that too for peanuts,” mentioned a Pandit authorities worker, who wished to not be named.
He mentioned these appointed as a part of the PM’s package deal weren’t even thought of at par with these picked by way of the UT’s service choice board and, therefore, obtained a consolidated wage of Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 just for the primary two years.
In case they die in a militant assault, guidelines don’t even present for a authorities job to subsequent of kin as compensation. Except for Deepak Chand, whose subsequent of kin was offered a job final 12 months, others killed have thus far obtained simply Rs 1 lakh as ex-gratia, a authorities official belonging to the migrant neighborhood mentioned.
Now the federal government has assured that they are going to present employment to the following of kin of the deceased, mentioned Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner Ashok Pandita, the nodal company taking care of the problems of migrant Kashmiri Pandits. “Otherwise, provisions of SRO 43 which provide for employment to the next of kin of an employee killed on duty do not apply, as the migrant employees are appointed under the PM package against supernumerary posts which end with one’s death,” he mentioned.
Police disperse protesters. (Express Photo by Shuaib Masoodi)
With a lot of the migrant Pandit workers posted within the Valley dwelling in personal rented lodging, many say not less than Rs 8,000 per thirty days goes simply into hire. Besides, on the time of appointment, they’ve to offer an enterprise that they won’t search switch to another place besides the Valley.
“If the government is so serious about our welfare, it should delink the employment package from the issue of our return and rehabilitation in the Valley,” a Kashmiri Pandit mentioned. “The UT government keeps posting us to vulnerable places, despite requests… The administration’s attitude, coupled with the killings, has brought us to a point where we are thinking of returning to Jammu.”
After a authorities schoolteacher, Deepak Chand, was killed in October 2021, a lot of migrant workers had in reality returned from the Valley to Jammu. Later, many rejoined responsibility on the promise of full safety.
Chand, although not a Pandit, was a migrant. The different Pandits killed have been a distinguished businessman, store workers and elected panchs and sarpanchs, who had gone to the Valley to contest rural native physique polls, leaving their households in Jammu.
Zafar Choudhary, a famous journalist and political analyst, says the bottom scenario in Kashmir is advanced and the federal government must open its eyes to this. Claims of peace based mostly on one good vacationer season had been misplaced and lots of extra elements would decide this, he mentioned.
A Kashmiri Pandit chief mentioned the foremost want was for re-establishment of a sense of brotherhood between the bulk and minority communities within the Valley. However, each nonetheless have a look at one another with suspicion. The chief hoped that the federal government would repair duty and guarantee some heads roll to revive confidence amongst Kashmiri Pandit workers.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
