Police use teargas to disperse Kashmiri Pandits
Protests and vigils have taken place across Jammu and Kashmir for the second day running on Friday over the target killing of a government employee belonging to minority Kashmiri Pandits.
In summer capital Srinagar, the police fired teargas canisters to break a huge crowd of angry Pandits (Brahmin Hindus) who while chanting antigovernment and anti-BJP slogans began marching towards the Srinagar International Airport after their request that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha should meet them was ignored.
“We had asked the government and police officials that the Lieutenant Governor should meet us at the Sheikapora (migrant transit camp) to show his solidarity with the family and colleagues of Rahul Bhat and others grieving over his cold-blooded murder by terrorists and listen to our grievances and demands but as he failed to turn up till 11 am many of us exhausted patience and began walking towards the airport”, said a Kashmiri Pandit.
However, Sinha met the family members of Bhat in Jammu and assured them that “terrorists and their supporters will have to pay a very heavy price for their heinous act”.
He tweeted, “Met the relatives of Rahul Bhat and
assured justice to the family. In this hour of grief, the
— H.U. NAQASH
government stands firmly with Rahul’s family.
Terrorists and their supporters will have to pay a very heavy price for their heinous act”.
The J&K police has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the target killing of Bhat.
The J&K administration has, meanwhile, announced plans to provide a government job to Bhat’s wife in Jammu and financial assistance to the family.
The government will bear the educational expenses of the daughter, an official spokesman said.
Nonetheless, this did not stop an organisation of Kashmiri Pandit government employees called ‘All PM Package Employees Forum’ from writing an enmass resignation letter to the Lt. Governor with copies to the Prime Minister’s Office and ministry of home affairs.
“Due to dejection by the policies of the administration and subsequent failure of providing a sense of security to all Kashmiri Pandit minorities serving in the Valley for the last 12 years, and due to desperation by promised custodians, who promised us to provide a dignified and honourable return, and due to threat of life which is a fundamental right of each and every human being, we PM Package employees and non-PM package employees have been left with no option but to give en-mass resignation which we know is the only solution to save our lives,” the letter reads.