“How Kashmir’s Pandit community navigates three decades of displacement, betrayal of political promises, and the struggle to preserve their cultural identity while building new lives across India.”
*Professor Rattan Lal Hangloo
The year 1990 denotes a turning point in the history of Kashmiri Pandits, who were caught unaware amidst the tumultuous times in a changing geopolitical world with an impact on their own landscape. With the backing of Pakistan, local rebels disgruntled by the outcome of the 1987 assembly elections launched an armed insurgency to free Kashmir from India.
A wave of merciless destructiveness combined with unspeakable torture was unleashed upon Kashmiri Pandits. Scores of them were unlucky enough to be captured alive, and killed, irrespective of age, or gender. The brutalities inflicted included reports of victims being sliced with bandsaw blades, and rapes of women.
The insurgents targeted Kashmiri Pandits and some Muslims. Earlier on petty skirmishes, the army used to stage flag marches to maintain peace but with the onset of 1990 when the trouble broke out, those in power remained tightlipped and the security apparatus was in disarray, leaving the community unprotected.
The fear of the gun, or the fascination for ‘freedom’ also silenced the Muslim majority. The militants issued public notices forbidding Kashmiri Muslims to interact with Pandits, thus creating a wedge between the communities.
Displacement & Plight In Camps
In such defenseless circumstances, Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave their ancestral homes in hot haste. So great was their fear and anxiety that while fleeing from their homes the hire of a one-ton truck rose from a few hundred rupees to thousands of rupees overnight.
The majority of the Pandits left their native place, leaving behind their properties. Many of their houses were looted and burned, and their villages were emptied and destroyed to prevent their comeback and resettlement.
The migration of Kashmiri Pandits to Jammu and other parts of India was a painful process. Hundreds of these resourceless victims died of complications that followed them when they were sparsely tossed to various places all over the world in inhospitable conditions and harsh climatic conditions.
Many displaced Kashmiri children were denied space even in the evening shifts in Jammu schools/colleges, set up for the migrants, and had to contend with canvas tents in terrible hot summers. Be it Muthi, Domana, Mishriwalla, Udhampur, Nagrota, Talab Tillo, or other migrant camps elsewhere, the tattered canvas tents were the only shelters with no public utilities.
Mismanagement in the disbursement of meagre relief announced for them or legitimate salaries for the government employees made them victims of unscrupulous elements.
When the relief commissioner’s office opened in Jammu (with a branch in Delhi), displaced people faced numerous hurdles in getting their identity papers, often waiting in severe heat. Meanwhile, non-migrants exploited the system, leading to widespread corruption. As a result, the office has still not published an accurate list of registered migrants.
Community Efforts Too Less
Despite having several organizations like All India Kashmiri Samaj and Kashmiri Samiti, Kashmiri Pandits could only address minor issues following their exodus. While these groups tried to raise concerns with the Indian government, the crisis’s scale led to new organizations like Panun Kashmir, led by Dr Agnishekhar, Dr Chrungoo, and Late Shree Amarnath Vaishnavi, who batted for a separate homeland in the Valley.
Though their proposal for a homeland for displaced Kashmiri Pandits initially gained support, their leaders gradually became discouraged due to a lack of progress. Government indifference and internal conflicts ultimately weakened these organizations’ effectiveness over time.
In recent years, Youth All India Kashmiri Samaj (YAIKS), led by R K Bhat and his team, has emerged as a respected organization among Kashmiri Pandits. Under Bhat’s leadership, YAIKS has served the community effectively through its democratic functioning, particularly during the 2020 COVID crisis, while maintaining good relations with authorities. Despite many odds, it continues to be an influential voice for the community.
While these community organizations shouldn’t be judged too harshly, their leaders lacked significant political influence. Though they maintained their integrity through adversity, many self-proclaimed community leaders have come and gone without making a lasting impact.
Left to their own devices, Kashmiri Pandits gathered their lives and started afresh as a demonstration of their resilience.
Betrayed By Successive Regimes Including BJP
But they feel dejected and betrayed, not only by what happened in the 1990s, compelling them to flee their homes but also by the state which failed to devise a concrete and justifiable policy for the rehabilitation and return of Kashmir Pandits.
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh offered some tax relief to displaced Kashmiri Pandits and created an employment package, though it was poorly implemented. Maharashtra’s government, under Bal Thackeray’s influence, provided significant help by reserving seats in professional colleges for migrant students, leading many families to settle in Pune.
When the BJP came to power, Kashmiri Pandits supported them strongly, hoping for positive change. Despite their passionate support for BJP’s ideology, both Vajpayee’s and Modi’s governments largely neglected their issues. While some educational benefits were extended to migrant children, those who lost businesses, land, and orchards received no protection. The community’s tragedy was used for political gain, with empty promises of dignified rehabilitation in Kashmir.
The Jagti migrant township in Jammu is awful proof of inefficient planning and one more atrocity committed against Kashmiri Pandits in the post-migration phase.
The state government was never interested in settling the Kashmiri Pandit community’s problems. The issue was always influenced by ‘political’ considerations for they don’t constitute a sizeable vote bank. Their generations have been lost in alien lands but at no point there was a conscious decision to rehabilitate them in their home districts in Kashmir.
Recent Developments
Recent political changes in Kashmir – including Article 370’s abrogation, bifurcation of the erstwhile state, conversion to Union Territory status, and reckless delimitation – have revealed poor planning and pushed the entire state into uncertainty. Amidst this, the Kashmiri Pandit community, reduced in size and influence, is severely weakened. This combined with government neglect, has left them without meaningful political representation. The plan to nominate just two Kashmiri Pandits to the J&K Assembly through a selective process undermines true democratic representation.
Though abandoned by the Indian state, Kashmiri Pandits maintain pride in their rich history and contributions. While their current displaced situation remains painful and heart-wrenching, their resilient younger generation is making its mark globally, promising future recognition and justice for their community.
*Professor Rattan Lal Hangloo has been Professor of History at Hyderabad Central University He is former Vice-Chancellor of Kalyani University West Bengal and University of Allahabad. He is currently Honorary Vice-Chancellor Noble International University Toronto Canada. (He originally belongs to Village Hangalgund Kokernag Kashmir but is at present in Raliegh, North Carolina USA.)
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The post Lost Homes, Living Hopes: Kashmiri Pandits’ Legacy of Resilience first appeared on Kashmir Times (Since 1954): Multi-media web news platform..
The post Lost Homes, Living Hopes: Kashmiri Pandits’ Legacy of Resilience appeared first on Kashmir Times (Since 1954): Multi-media web news platform..