As per the Hindu mythology present Kashmir used to be a huge lake called Satisar. “Sati” consorts of Lord Shiva and “Sar” means lake. Inhabitants who were Nagas in those days used to live on mountains, and these mountains were supposed to be bank of this lake. “Sangrashutra” a demon who oversaw “Lord Indra” with his wife “Sachi”, he was so amazed that his seeds fell in Satisar which gave birth to a baby called “Jalodbhava”, which means born in lake. Jalodbhava was brought up by Nagas, as he grew up he turn out to be a demon and harassed the Nagas; they complained about the same to their king “Nilanaga”. King approached his father Rishi Kahyap (grandson of Lord Brahma). Rishi Kahyap did long penance and was blessed, he was able to cut the mountain at present day Baramula, which lead to draining of lake water. The demon was killed by a divine pebble, where stands the present day “Hariparbat” built by Akbar. The word Kashmir is taken from Sanskrit “Ka” which means water and “Shimira” which means dried up. Another theory says “kas” means channel and “mir” means mountains.
Many rulers came and perished in the valley and affected the life of composite culture. In fourteen century onwards, Islam made inroads into Kashmir. Hindus were forbidden from practicing their religion. Mass conversion took place; many pandits migrated to Delhi, Lucknow, Allahabad and Lahore. Reign of Mughals was succeeded by Sikhs then Dorgra who bought Kashmir from British. Post-independence too, Kashmiri community was exploited which lead to their exodus on 19 Jan 1990.
Under the 1975 accord, Sheikh Abdullah and Indra Gandhi agreed to measures previously undertaken by the central government in Jammu and Kashmir to integrate the state into India. Those opposed to it included Jamaat-e-Islami Kashmir and People’s League and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) based Azad Kashmir. Both the pro-Independence JKLF and the pro – Pakistan Islamist groups including Jamaat-e-Islam Kashmir mobilised the fast growing anti-Indian sentiments among the Kashmiri population. The year of 1984 saw rise in terrorist violence in Kashmir when the JKLF militant Maqbool Bhat was executed in Feb 1984. Critics of the then Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah; charged that Abdullah was losing control and was biased with Islamisation of the state. On 2 July 1984, G.M.Shah, who was supported by Indira Gandhi, replaced his brother-in-law Farooq Abdullah and became the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir State, afterwards Abdullah was dismissed which was termed as a political “coup”. Kashmiri Muslims targeted the Kashmiri Pandits. Various incidents were reported in many areas where Kashmiri Hindus were slayed and their properties and temples destroyed. During the riots of Anantnag in February 1986, though no Hindu was killed, but many houses and other properties belonging to Hindus were looted, burnt or broken.
In July 1988, the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) began a separatist insurgency for independence of Kashmir from India. On 14 September 1989, the group targeted a Kashmiri Hindu for the very first time, when they killed Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, a lawyer and a prominent leader of Bharatiya Janta Party in Jammu and Kashmir in front of several eyewitnesses. On 4 January 1990, a local Urdu newpaper, Aftab published a press release issued by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, threatening all Pandits to leave the valley immediately. There are some reasons for beefing up of such militant action in Kashmir as Russia leaving Afghanistan, which lead to influx of Taliban fighters in POK by ISI to invade Kashmir. Then Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto made it a agenda to free Kashmir and started instigating Muslims of Kashmir via speeches. Militants in Pak were being financially supported from middle east countries to free Kashmir. On 21 January 1990, two days after Jagmohan took over as Governor of the state, the Indian security forces opened fire on protesters, leading to the death of at least 50 persons and likely over 100 were injured. These events led to chaos. The valley was taken over by Lawlessness and the crowd with slogans and guns started wandering around the streets. Most of the Kashmiri Hindus left Kashmir valley and moved to other parts of the country, majority to the refugee camps in Jammu region of the state.
On 14 September 1989, Pandit Tika Lal Taploo, who was a lawyer and a BJP member, was murdered by the JKLF in home in Srinagar. Soon after Taploo’s death, Nikanth Ganjoo, a judge of Srinagar High court who had sentenced Maqbul Bhat to death was also shot dead. In December 1989, Dr. Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of then Union Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was kidnapped by members of JKLF and demanded release of five militants that was subsequently fulfilled. Walls were pasted with posters with threatening messages to all Kashmiris to harshly follow the Islalmic rules which included abidance by the Islamic dress code, a prohibition on alcohol, cinemas, and severe restrictions on Kashmiri women. Unknown masked men forced people to reset their time to Pakistan Standard Time, all offices buildings, shops, and establishments were coloured green as a sign of Islamist rule. Factories, shops, temples and homes of Kashmiri Hindus were burned or shattered.
Frightening posters were posted on doors of Hindus asking them to go away from Kashmir immediately. On 29 April 1990, a veteran Kashmiri poet Sarwanand Kaul Premi, was gruesomely injured. On 2 February 1990, a young Hindu Pandit social worker Satish Tikoo, was murdered near his own house in Habba Kadal, Srinagar. On 13 February 1990, Lassa Kaul, Station Director of Srinagar Doordarshan, was also shot dead. Throughout the time of exodus, many Kashmiri Hindu women were kidnapped, raped and murdered.
As per the report of Relief Office in 1990 by government of Jammu and Kashmir, 44,167 Kashmiri Migrant families have been registered who had moved from the Kashmir valley since 1990 due to security concerns. Out of these, 39,782 is the count of registered Hindu Migrant families. Special Jobs for the Kashmiri migrant youth under the PM package has been an important component for the rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants. Approximately, 3800 migrant aspirants have returned to the Kashmir Valley in the last few years to take up the PM package jobs. As many as 520 migrant candidates, post abrogation of Article 370, have returned to Kashmir for taking up the jobs that have been provided to them under the rehabilitation package.To support rehabilitation of Kashmiri Migrants back at their ancestral places, government announced financial aid. `Cash assistance is being given to Kashmiri Migrants, which has been increased timely. Total of 6000 posts were announced under PM Packages, nearly 3,800 Kashmiri Migrants have been rehabilitated directly by way of providing government employment. They are working various districts of Kashmir vis-à-vis Srinagar, Kupwara, Budgam, Baramulla, Shopian, Anantnag and Ganderbal. Remaining posts are also at final phase of recruitment. In order to prove accommodation to 6000 Kashmir Migrant who are getting employed in the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in the valley, 6,000 Transit Accommodation units are being constructed for employees in various areas. So far 1,025 units have been constructed 1,488 units are under construction and land has been identified for about 2444 units.
It’s been 31 years in 2022 since the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, but still they are refugees in their own country. Government has taken several steps as mentioned in former paras, still all of the migrants have not been completely re-established in the valley and there are several reasons as Kashmiri Pandits was a well-educated community and were holding good position in the valley during the exodus, hence most of the migrants are abroad or doing well settled jobs in cities. Migrants who are settled in cities and having a good opportunities are not in favour of leaving the same and returning to valley where they don’t have a good living standard and opportunities. Kashmiri Pandits have started a new life after their exodus, new peers new lifestyle, they don’t want to go back to valley where they don’t have any friends and known left. Many have concern of security and threat to their life again, even though it’s a fact that 800 Kashmiri Pandit families which were left behind in valley, none of them faced any threat to their life.
Exodus of any section of people in any country is never justifiable for human civilisation and lesser for democracy keeping India into perspective. Such incidents put a big question mark on the functioning of the government organisations and points finger on the basic framework of the country as a whole. It’s important that lessons must be learnt from such incidents to avoid repetition in future. A plan providing the framework how to avoid such incidents must be put in public domain.
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