A senior central government official has said the Modi administration is not considering relocating Kashmiri Hindus from the Kashmir Valley despite a surge in deadly attacks that have killed 16 people since the start of the year.
The source, quoted by The Hindu, said that the government is cautious about avoiding a repeat of the 1990s exodus. According to government sources, 44,167 Hindu families were forced to leave the Kashmir Valley due to violence instigated by terror groups. However, independent sources claim that the number ranges from 150,000 to 190,000.
The source said, “Though we are seized of the matter, the administration cannot agree to the demands of minorities to move them stock and barrel to Jammu. The government employees can be posted in district headquarters and at places where adequate security is available.”
#WATCH | J&K: Terrorist fires at bank manager at Ellaqie Dehati Bank at Areh Mohanpora in Kulgam district.
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2022
The bank manager later succumbed to his injuries.
(CCTV visuals) pic.twitter.com/uIxVS29KVI
Nearly 4,000 Kashmiri Hindus who have been posted to the Kashmir Valley under the Prime Minister’s special rehabilitation package since 2008, and live in secured gated colonies. However, amid a rise in attacks, they have been demanded to be expeditiously relocated to the Hindu-majority region of Jammu.
Protests have reported in these migrant colonies, with the Hindu community demanding assurances from the government for their safety. In fact, on May 23, Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant-Governor, Manoj Sinha, was presented with a joint letter from his employees, who threatened to resign en-masse if the demands weren’t met.
On May 12, revenue official Rahul Bhat was targeted and killed in his office in Chadoora, Budgam. On the same day, a bus with pilgrims was set on fire near Katra by the Jammu and Kashmir Freedom Fighters using IEDs. Thereafter, a Hindu teacher was killed in an attack in Kulgam on June 1. On June 2, a Rajasthani bank employee was shot dead in Kulgam.
#KulgamTerrorIncidentUpdate: Injured lady teacher, a #Hindu & resident of Samba (Jammu division) #succumbed to her injuries. #Terrorists involved in this #gruesome #terror crime will be soon identified & neutralised.@JmuKmrPolice https://t.co/8rZR3dMmLY
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) May 31, 2022
In fact, 16 Hindus have been killed in the Kashmir Valley since the start of the year, with seven in May alone.
Owing to these attacks, around 150 Hindus have left the region since mid-May. According to Deccan Herald, over 100 Hindu families have fled Kashmir over fears of being targeted.
Consequently, Home Minister Amit Shah met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Intelligence Bureau Special Director AS Ranjan on Thursday to discuss the deterioration of the security situation in Kashmir. He is also scheduled to meet Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant-Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Friday to discuss recent attacks as well as concerns about the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, which runs from June 30 until August 11.
#terrorists fired upon a bank employee (manager) at Ellaqie Dehati Bank at Areh Mohanpora in #Kulgam district. He received grievous gunshot injuries in this terror incident. He is a resident of Hanumangarh Rajasthan. Area cordoned off. Further details shall follow.@JmuKmrPolice
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) June 2, 2022
The police has also sealed off a Hindu-dominated area in Srinagar that is home to several Hindu government employees.
The attacks have been condemned by several local leaders, including National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah, who called the June 1 attack on the Hindu teacher “despicable.” Similarly, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti said that the incidents revealed the central government’s “fake claims” of peace in the region since the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s specifical status in August 2019. She also raised concern that the actions play into the “vicious anti-Muslim narrative” of the government.
Rajni was from Samba District of Jammu province. A government teacher working in Kulgam area of South Kashmir, she lost her life in a despicable targeted attack. My heart goes out to her husband Raj Kumar & the rest of her family. Another home irreparably damaged by violence.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 31, 2022
Despite GOIs fake claims about Kashmir being normal its obvious that targeted civilian killings are on the rise & a deep cause of concern. Condemn this act of cowardice which sadly plays into the vicious anti muslim narrative spun by BJP. https://t.co/3TK6rxXu6S
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) May 31, 2022
The security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has significantly deteriorated over the past six months. The Border Security Forces have detected at least five tunnels along the Jammu border created for the movement of vehicles and terrorists to launch attacks. Authorities have reported that narcotics channels in Punjab are also being used to transport weapons into the Kashmir Valley.
Meanwhile, a petition was filed in the Supreme Court to acknowledge the “targeted killings” of Hindus in Kashmir, which the petitioner says has “created a sense of fear, vulnerability and insecurity among the community living in the valley.” The petition urges the court to direct authorities to provide security to the minority community and investigate recent attacks.