Kashmir : The tale of 90's Genocide

The month of January brings a hope for the new year all over the world, but for Kashmiri Pandits this month is full of sorrow, pain and disappointment. January 19 has become a symbol of the tragedy that occurred in Kashmir in 1990. Jihadi Islamic forces wreaked such havoc on Kashmiri Pandits that they had only three options – either change their religion, die or migrate.

The exodus of Kashmiri Hindus refers to a series of anti-Hindu massacres and attacks that occurred soon after they began being targeted by the JKLF and other Islamic extremists from late 1989 to early 1990, ultimately resulting in Kashmiri Hindus fleeing the valley. Were forced to. This is also called the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits.

In 2016, only 2 thousand to 3 thousand Hindus are left in Kashmir Valley, whereas in 1990, the number of Hindus living in Kashmir Valley was around 3 lakh to 6 lakh.

There are some significant point on which one should know about:-

1.Terrorists had killed hundreds of minority Kashmiri Pandits. Many women were gang-raped and murdered.

2. In those days, many people were kidnapped and beaten every day.

3. Stone pelting at the houses of Pandits and attacks on temples were happening continuously.

4. At that time there was no one in the valley to help the Kashmiri Pandits, neither the police, nor the administration, nor any leader nor any human rights people.

5. At that time the situation was so bad that people of the community were being discriminated against even in hospitals.

6.Even walking on the streets had become difficult.

7.Kashmiri Pandits were being harassed from streets to schools, colleges and offices - mentally, physically and culturally.

8. That night, loudspeakers were being announced from mosques all over the valley that 'Kill the infidels, we want Kashmir with Pandit women and not with Pandit men, only Nizame Mustafa will do here...' Lakhs of Kashmiri Muslims were preparing for a death march on the streets. Finally the army came to the rescue of Kashmiri Pandits. Neither any policeman, nor any leader, nor any people from the civil society. If the then newly appointed Governor Jagmohan had not called the army to the valley on the night of January 19, 1990, it cannot be imagined to what extent the massacre of Kashmiri Pandits and gang rape of women would have taken place.

Lakhs of victims of Kashmiri Hindu community started living in miserable conditions in Jammu, Delhi and other cities of the country, but no civil society did anything about their suffering. The central government of that time also did nothing about the migration of Kashmiri Pandits or the brutality meted out to them.

According to Kashmiri Pandits, more than 300 people were killed in 1989-1990. Even after this the massacre of Pandits continued. On 26 January 1998, 23 Kashmiri Pandits were murdered in Wandhama and 24 in 2003 in Nadimarg village.

Even after thirty years have passed, no action has been taken till date in any case in favour of Kashmiri pandits. The surprising thing is that in hundreds of cases the police did not even register an FIR. After migration, the houses of Kashmiri Pandits were looted. Many houses were burnt. The houses and gardens of many Pandits were captured. Many temples were demolished and land was also grabbed. Till date no case has been registered with the police regarding all these incidents.

Till date no one has raised any voice for the community of Kashmiri Pandits who are suffering from fear, oppression and torture. No civil society people or leaders have taken any steps to provide justice to the Pandits.

There were many eminent names of this community like Judge Neelkanth Ganju, Telecom Engineer Balkrishna Ganju, Doordarshan Director Lasakol, Leader Tikalal Taplu who were killed and till date nothing has happened in their cases. Apart from these, there are many such names against whom brutality was committed, but till date no action or case has been registered. Girja Ganju or Sarla Bhatt who were kidnapped, gang-raped and then slit alive with a wood-splitting machine. Hundreds of such murders were committed, in which justice has not been done till date.

Big leaders of Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, even late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed never talked about providing justice to Kashmiri Pandits. When Pandits were being attacked, Farooq Abdullah was the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, when there was an exodus of Pandits from the valley, then Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was the Home Minister of the country. But no one talked or took any steps to save the Pandits or to provide them justice.

Data of 1990s genodice

Research think tank Center for Integrated and Holistic Studies (CIHS) has published a report, 'Seven Exodus and the Ethnic Cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus', on selected documented cases of murder, rape and violence against the community that took place in the valley between 1989 and 2003. A graphic list has been published. The migration that took place in 1990 had started in 1989 itself.

• 4 November 1989 - Justice Neelkanth Ganju was shot dead at close range in Hari Singh Street market near the High Court in Srinagar.

• 27 December 1989 - 57-year-old advocate Prem Nath Bhatt of Anantnag was murdered in public.

• 25 January 1990 - Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna and his colleagues were waiting for an Indian Air Force bus at the Rawalpura bus stand to take them to the airport when a Maruti Gypsy carrying four to five JKLF terrorists approached them. A two-wheeler surrounded them and opened fire. Khanna and 13 other Air Force personnel fell on the ground. Along with Khanna, three were killed and ten were injured. Yasin Malik has confessed to this murder in an interview given to Tim Sebastian. He was an area commander of JKLF, working under Chief Commander Ishfaq Wani.

• 2 February 1990- Satish Kumar Tikku, a young Kashmiri Hindu (Pandit), was shot dead by a group led by Farooq Ahmed Dar (alias Bitta Karate).

• 13 February 1990- Doordarshan director Lassa Kaul was murdered when one of his colleagues allegedly leaked information about his movement. On the same day, Ratan Lal of Rawalpora, working in the civilian organization Military Engineering Service (MES), also died.

• 20 March 1990- AK Raina, Deputy Director of Food and Supplies, was murdered in his office in Srinagar in front of his subordinates.

• 19 April 1990- Sarla Bhat was gang raped and brutally murdered.

It is the misfortune of this community that neither any judicial commission, nor SIT, nor even a simple investigation has been conducted regarding their migration. Kashmiri Pandits are still waiting for justice.

But there are some steps that are being taken in this direction like on 6 August 2019, the Government of India announced abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution - A special status given to the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

Although some people had filed petitions for revoking this particular article but thanks to honourable Supreme Court, their efforts were in vain.

Still, after three decades, the path to return home is not easy for this community. But a hope has definitely arisen.

While analysing or studying the whole Kashmir issue one should never forget who were the perpetrators and who were the saviours of those perpetrators.

Never forget, never forgive.

Article by

Adv. Alekh sharma

Younginker

Lawyer