Fearing for safety, Kashmiri Pandits flee Valley ahead of I-Day

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, August 14

Amid the Independence Day celebrations and the looming terror threat, many Kashmiri Pandit (KP) and reserved category Hindu employees have fled from Kashmir to Jammu. They plan to return only after August 15. There are nearly 6,000 KP and over 2,500 Dalit government employees working in Kashmir. While the KPs were posted in Valley under the special PM package, the reserved category employees were posted during the inter-district recruitment over a decade ago.

Both the communities have witnessed attacks by terrorists in the past. Many KPs were killed last year, triggering their exodus from Kashmir. Employees from the minority community had fled the Valley also during the G-20 event in Srinagar in May this year.

The employees mostly from Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama have reached Jammu. A Pandit employee informed, “The police can’t give security to every employee from the minority community. That is why we have come to Jammu.”

Ashish Razdan, general secretary of the All PM Package Employees’ Welfare Association, said, “The atmosphere of insecurity not only affects their physical well-being but also contributes to a constant state of anxiety and fear, making it challenging to focus on work and enjoy personal life.”

Dalit employees, under the umbrella of the All Jammu Based Reserved Category Employees’ Association, are demanding transfer to Jammu for the past one year. In May last year, a Dalit teacher, Rajni Bala, hailing from Jammu’s Samba, was shot dead by terrorists.

Naresh Bhagat, a member of the association, said, “Employees feel safe only when they are inside their houses. The government has done a lot for the safety of employees but we want our people to be transferred to Jammu.”

He said that many employees whose children study in schools in the Valley had to come to Jammu due to fear ahead of any national event in Kashmir.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Dalits #Hindus #Jammu #Kashmir #Kashmiri Pandits