Kashmiri Pandits say they are at risk after government put job transfer lists online

Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday transferred 177 Kashmiri Pandit government school teachers to “safer places” within the Valley following a spate of targeted killings, the Hindustan Times reported.

However, the move was criticised by Kashmiri Pandits and political parties after the lists of transferred employees was uploaded on government websites and later began circulating on social media, according to The Indian Express.

Kashmiri Pandit employees said that since the lists show their new place of posting, it has put their lives at risk.

“This is a matter of concern for us in the kind of situation we are living in,” Vikas Hangloo, a Kashmiri Pandit employee said, according to The Indian Express. “Since yesterday, we have been seeing orders, with name and place of posting, circulating on WhatsApp. This has put us at risk.”

Since January, at least 19 targeted killings, including those of police officials, teachers and village heads, have been reported in Kashmir. Out of these, 13 were civilians – six were Hindus and seven were Kashmiri Muslims. Many of them were shot point-blank in their homes or workplaces.

Kashmiri Pandits have been protesting since government employee Rahul Bhat was shot dead in his office in Budgam’s Chadoora area on May 12. Migrant Kashmiri Pandits have demanded that their relatives in Kashmir be relocated to Jammu for their safety.

About 4,000 Kashmiri Pandits are currently employed under the prime minister’s special rehabilitation package.

‘Big security breach’

The decision to make the transfer list of Kashmiri Pandit employees public was criticised by several political parties, including the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party.

Altaf Thakur, a BJP spokesperson of the Kashmir unit, said that the government must take action against officers who made the list public.

“Making the list public on social platforms is a big security breach, as terrorists now have a clear idea on who is posted where,” Thakur said, according to The Indian Express. “The government must take a strong note of it and find out who is making the fresh transfer lists…public at a time when target killings are taking place in the Valley.”

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said that the government has “absolute disregard” for the lives of minorities in the Valley.

“This is unbelievably shameful and absolute disregard for the lives of Kashmiri Pandits,” Chaturvedi said in a tweet. “Why should KPs [Kashmiri Pandits] trust your word anymore, GoI?”