J&K administration is not providing enough security, says Kashmiri Pandit group on targeted killings

The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti on Friday condemned the recent killings of minorities and non-locals in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, Sanjay Tickoo, the president of the group, said that the Union Territory administration was not providing enough security to ensure the safety of his community members.

He claimed that the situation in the Valley was returning to what it was in the 1990s, when an exodus of Kashmiri Hindus had occurred due to militancy.

“The safety of minorities is at stake and the government is least bothered by the situation,” Tickoo added. “This clearly shows either the administration is not interested in saving minorities or they are incompetent to handle the situation.”

Militants have been regularly targeting panchayat members, civilians and non-locals in the Union Territory. At least seven civilians have been attacked since April 2. The attacks also include the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit named Bal Krishan on April 5.

The attack on Krishan was the first on Kashmiri Pandits since October last year, when militants had killed a prominent businessman, Makhan Lal Bindroo, in Srinagar.

In Friday’s statement, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti president said that the killings were not possible without logistic support from the local population to the suspected militants.

“The role of the Kashmiri society, though small in number, cannot be outrightly absolved for the targeted crimes happening against Kashmiri Pandits,” Tickoo said. “Every gunman known or unknown is a local person and their OGWs [over ground workers] are also from our own Kashmiri society, who create fake trust with religious minorities to collect details and help these gunmen to kill Kashmiri Pandits/Hindus living in Valley.”

Tickoo added that the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti was disappointed with the Central government’s failure to protect minorities.

“In 1990, coalition government failed miserably in securing minorities in Kashmir Valley which led to mass migration of the community, and in the last three years the same government failed again.”