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. A Kashmiri Pandit fact-checks The Kashmir Files In an EXCLUSIVE interview to SabrangIndia's Karuna John, KPSS Chief Sanjay Tickoo recalls events as they truly unfolded and not as they have been depicted in the movie 22 Mar 2022 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. The outcome of this shift both in population and in religion was that the Kashmir Valley became a predominantly Muslim region. 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. Around 9 PM, loud and thunderous Islamic and pro-Pakistan slogans raised collectively by a multitude of humanity and relayed through powerful loudspeakers almost pierced ear drums. 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. They were assured that once the massacre in Kashmir was completed and the movement (for self-determination) curbed, they would be sent back to At first Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), the founding leader of Jamat opposed direct involvement as it would destroy the organization and open it to Indian assault by security forces. Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific. He was one of the first persons to help them after which Punjab also followed suit. Sun worship is believed to have been brought into Kashmir by Kushan kings from Iran. [10], According to Indian government, more than 60,000 families are registered as Kashmiri migrants including some Sikh and Muslim families. An important issue of concern is security. Navreh or the Kashmiri lunar new year is also an important Pandit festival. By 2011, only an estimated 2,700-3,400 Pandits remained in the Kashmir Valley. This article is protected. In Jammus Jagti migrant camp, where at least 20,000 migrant Kashmiri Pandits live, the residents have been protesting for the past 146 days. 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. Swamy's remarks come in the midst of a controversy over the movie 'The Kashmir Should it provide these Pandit settlements in the Valley with tight security, people would be keen to return home, he adds. 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. .. Advertisement .. Rajiv Gandhi Urged VP Singh Government To Stop Exodus Of Hindus From Kashmir: Congress, "Eknath Shinde Could Not Have Become Chief Minister If": Supreme Court, "If Manish Sisodia Joins BJP Today": Arvind Kejriwal Targets PM Modi, "Playing For Country": Gavaskar Blasts Gill For Calling Physio Mid-Over, In Telangana Death By Suicide, Student's Heart-Breaking Apology To Mother, Nithyananda's 'Republic Of Kailasa' At UN Meet. (Or if they're ordered by the regime to create intentional tension/chaos. With the Indian government revoking Article 370 of the constitution in August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir has been deprived of its special status of limited autonomy. They wanted sharia rule in Kashmir, Dhar said, adding that the Pandits had no choice but to leave their homes. The communal violence of April 2022 was more the norm than the exception in the city of Khambhat. 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". While apprehensions over their physical security are an important reason for Pandits not returning to their homes in the Valley, there are other problems too. Many Pandits, especially the youth, feel little emotional or cultural connect to their Kashmiri heritage and homeland. Asia, Central Despite international sanctions, shipments of aviation fuel continue to reach the country, according to a new report. What is the truth of the 1990s Kashmiri Pandit migration? Citizens of Jammu took to the streets to protest the erection of the masjid on the secretariat premises. This decision had helped catalyse the Kashmir genocide's bloody 1990s chapter. They believe that Kashmiri Muslims, with whom they had lived amicably for centuries, drove them out with a vengeance in a frenzy of Islamism that they could not have imagined even months earlier. The Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah In agreement with the Central government accepted their demands and freed the jailed terrorists. Several moved to other cities in India and abroad, where they have done well professionally. Those Pandits in service who felt threatened were free to leave their stations; they would continue to be paid salary. And the Prime Minister has said that the truth is coming out. It laid down measures for the integration of Jammu and Kashmir to India, ensuring that it will continue to be governed under Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave the state an autonomous status as a constituent of India. More than 500000 Kashmiri Pandits migrated during the period of few weeks in 1990. Black Day: January 19 is observed as the Holocaust day by the Kashmiri Pandit community. 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. Just around 600 Pandit families stayed in the Valley. WebThe Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus, or Pandits, is their early-1990 migration, or flight, from the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley in Indian-administered Kashmir following rising violence in an insurgency.Of a total Pandit population of 120,000140,000 some 90,000100,000 left the valley or felt compelled to leave, and about 30 were killed. Agnihotri's rendition then suggests that this was among the factors that contributed to the exodus on 19 January, even though the threat was reported to have been published on 14 April, three months after the night of terror. The events of 19 January 1990 were particularly vicious. The Genocide of Kashmiri Hindus who are also called Kashmiri Pandits, was seventh ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits by radical Islamists in Kashmir Valley around 1990. An agreement, popularly known as the 1975 Indira-Sheikh Accord, was signed between Kashmiri politician Sheikh Abdullah and then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi. What was the UN event representatives of Kailasa attended? [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. Indian forces are specially ordered to keep high surveillance on Kashmir and Kashmiris. The kidnappers demanded the release of five of their members in exchange for Rubaiya's release. Other commentary has pointed to how the government organised transport for fleeing Pandits so that they could get to Jammu. [34] Many of the refugee Kashmiri Pandits have been living in abject conditions in refugee camps of Jammu. [ref][ref][ref] Events were also held at Jagti and Muthi migrant camps. [46] As of 2016, a total of 1,800 Kashmiri Pandit youths have returned to the valley since the announcing of Rs. Rubaiya was the daughter of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, then the Home minister of India in the Janata Dal government led by V. P. Singh. "These terrorists played a role in genocide.nation wants to know," he said. Instead, the notorious governor said that if the Pandits decided to leave, refugee camps had been set up for them and the departing civil servants would be continued to be paid their salaries. The KPSS has placed the number of Kashmiri Pandits killed by militants from 1990 to 2011 at 399, the majority during 1989-90. Gul Shah formed the government with support from the Congress at the state-level as well as the central. for Us, opposition to such Pandit-only settlements. Historical India is an opensource community based project dedicated to the history of Greater India. According to a J&K government report, 219 members of the community had been killed in the region between 1989 and 2004 but none thereafter. WebMaybe. Habibullah wrote he also appealed to Jagmohan that he telecast an appeal to Pandits that they stay in Kashmir, assuring their safety on the basis of the assurance of the Anantnag residents. 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. Bal Thackeray from Maharashtra got seats reserved in engineering colleges for the children of these Pandits. Some built new homes and or moved into rented places. [22], Butshikan's heir, the devout Muslim Zain-ul-Abidin (142374), was tolerant of Hindus to the extent of sanctioning a return to Hinduism of those who had been forcibly converted to the Muslim faith, as well as becoming involved in the restoration of temples. [28], They began to leave in much greater numbers in the 1990s during the eruption of militancy, following persecution and threats by radical Islamists and militants. 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. Jammu and Kashmir Governor Jagmohan Malhotra, dictated by the Centre, orchestrated the replacement of Abdullah with his brother-in-law Ghulam Shah, who had rebelled against his family and pioneered another faction of the National Conference. Advertisement. Tens of thousands of Kashmiris and Indian security personnel have lost their [56][57] They were distributed into the two districts of Valley, the Baramulla district, where Hindus constituted 2.1 percent of the population; 12,919 Hindus out of 612,428 total. immediately after Independence in 1947. It marked a shift in the motivations behind the militancy in Kashmir hitherto driven primarily be a separatist sentiment, it now took a more communal colour and moved towards jihad. 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 eye-witness report by two investigative journalists on the ground in Prato, Italy. Neel Kanth Ganjoo, a retired judge who had sentenced Maqbool Bhat to death, was shot dead outside the J&K High Court in Srinagar on November 4. Newly appointed, he had arrived in Srinagar on January 19. It was replaced by Urdu in 1889 during the Dogra rule. Even our Muslim friends were caught up in the Islamist frenzy of that period, Dhar recalled. Asia, South Power, Crossroads 22 Mar 2022. Asia, Asia Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. On that day, mosques issued declarations that the Kashmiri Pandits were Kafirs and that the males had to leave Kashmir, convert to Islam or be killed. On 21 January 1990, two days into the governor's rule, the paramilitary troops of the Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF) opened fire on a group of protesting But local politicians said the situation was far from normal, and Here's a look at the actual timeline of the Kashmiri Pandit exodus, and how The Kashmir Files departs from history at certain points. The majority of Kashmiri Brahmins are Krkuns, and this is likely due to the conversion of the majority of Kashmiris to Islam, which led to a decrease in demand for Hindu priests, which led most Kashmiri Brahmins to seek secular employment. 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. Further, the film shows that Al-Safa carried a threat commanding Kashmiri Pandits to leave the Valley before the night of the exodus 'Al-Safa, Pandit dafa,' a child holding the newspaper recites in the movie. [ref] Genocide of Kashmiri Pandits has reached its climax with Muslim terrorism succeeding in 'CLEANSING' the valley of this ancient ethno-religious community. Journalist-lawyer Prem Nath Bhat was shot dead in Anantnag on December 27. [9][60] The exodus of people from Kashmir Valley began only after then Jammu and Kashmir governor Jagmohan asked them, especially Kashmiri Pandits and Sikhs, to A Kashmiri Pandit refugee camp in Jammu. 20 per cent of them left the valley as a consequence of the 1950 land reforms,[27] and by 1981 the Pandit population amounted to 5 per cent of the total. WebGenocide of Kashmiri Pandits. PTI Vivek Agnihotris The Kashmir Files, a movie that delves into the 1990 exodus of lakhs of A section of Kashmiri Muslim youth was radicalised, armed, and tutored in Islamic fundamentalism. [49][50][51], The Jammu And Kashmir Migrant Immovable Property (Preservation, Protection And Restraint on Distress Sales) Act, 1997, provides that "Any person who is an unauthorised occupant or recipient of any usufruct of any immovable property of the migrant shall pay to the migrant such compensation for the period of unauthorised occupation and in such a manner as may be determined by the District Magistrate. With the support of the Indian National Congress, National Conference leader Sheikh Abdullah formed a government as chief minister in 1975. It appears to have archaic features that suggest it is the oldest form of Kashmiri folk singing. China is drawing lessons from Russias invasion of Ukraine. [36][37], Some Hindus across India tried to help the Pandits. Sun hid behind the clouds and the darkness found its way throughout the daylight. 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. WebThe Exodus It was 19 th of January, 1990 and days were cold and nights bitter, though there was no snow on the ground. The first day of the governor's rule, 19 January 1990, saw the darkest night in the history of the Kashmiri Pandit Exodus. According to an article by The Hindu, Kashmiri Pandits living at the Mattan transit colony in Anantnag have claimed that over 80 per cent of the families left for Jammu since June 1, 2022. [54] Ikkjutt Jammu, a political party in Jammu and Kashmir, advocates for two Union Territories in Kashmir, one being Panun Kashmir for Kashmiri Hindus. Join us to create the encyclopedia of Indian history Copyright2021 All Rights Reserved by Historical India, Since late 1989, the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been in the grip of a vicious movement of Islamist extremist terrorism. 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. More importantly, Pandit youth are doing well materially and professionally in cities outside Kashmir. Many scholars and media houses have compared the genocide with that of Holocaust. 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. [33] The nature of the planned exodus has remain controversial, with the involvement of then Governor Jagmohan in organising a clandestine exodus been a subject of controversy. Manish Sisodia Delhi excise policy case: how the right against self-incri What was the UN event representatives of Nithyanandas Kailasa attended? [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. 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. 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