New Delhi: A silent sit-in at Jantan Mantar in Delhi today marked the day, when thirty years ago a community was forced to flee their own homes in the dead of night. Kashmiri Pandits remembered that fateful night in 1990 when they became exiles in their own homeland.
The peaceful sit-in is a stark contrast to the violent anti-CAA protesters that were orchestrated last month in many parts of the country. The sit-in was organized by Jammu Kashmir Vichar Manch (JKVM), Kashmir Samiti Delhi, Roots in Kashmir and Panun Kashmir. They were protesting for their human rights to be restored as they faced discrimination for the last 30 years.
When protesters are fighting the Citizenship Amendment Act in the name of secularism and support to illegal migrant Muslims, no one is speaking about the 4 lakh Kashmiri pandits who were forced to abandon their homes and lands and run for their dear lives.
Before leaving they had to undergo unspeakable horrors at the hands of Muslim fanatics who ravaged the valley in pursuit of Hindus. The men were killed, women were raped, their lands and homes taken over and businesses destroyed. With whatever they had, the Kashmiri Pandits ran off from the land they called as home.
Though, many governments came and went, none was willing to bring the Muslim culprits to book nor resettle the poor Pandits back to their homes. No human rights ever spoke about these people who were exiled from their lands.
One protester said, “No single conviction has taken place against the people who have widely admitted that they were part of the killings. Besides, these cases should be made to come out of the Kashmir region and brought to the forefront so that our community, which is on the verge of extinction, gets national attention and receives adequate justice.”
However, with a strong BJP government now in New Delhi, the hopes of the next generation of Kashmiri Pandits have risen. A flickering hope now kindles the heart of every Pandit who dream of going back to their land where their ancestors lived and died.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Anurag Thakur, today said that it is time for Kashmiri Pandits to come back to Jammu and Kashmir.
Anurag Thakur said, “I think the right time has come for Kashmiri Pandits to be back in Kashmir and to get their rightful rights back. It’s not only time but they’ve lost everything in life. They didn’t deserve to go through the treatment they’ve gone through.”
#HumWapasAayenge is trending on social media with the victims sharing their memories of their homes and how they fled that fateful day.
