The Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is reeling from a wave of barbaric killings of Hindus, especially those employed under the Prime Minister’s Package in the valley, by Islamic terrorists. The continuous attacks on Hindus have prompted many to leave Kashmir in large numbers, thereby prompting fears of another exodus like the one in 1990.
There have been about 11 targeted killings of Hindus in the previous 36 weeks, with the number certain to rise if we include other non-local Hindus and Muslim government officials who have also been targeted in the valley recently.
The Islamists see these Kashmiri Pandits and even local Muslims employed by the government in police and other departments as collaborators of the Indian regime in the valley.
While terrorism has never ended in Jammu and Kashmir, killing of civilians by terrorists suddenly peaked from October last year. In the first 6 days of October 2021 itself, 7 civilians were killed, both including several Hindus.
5 October 2021 – Makhan Lal Bindroo
On October 6, 2021, the terrorists shot dead 68-year-old Makhan Lal Bindroo, Kashmiri Pandit owner of the famous Bindroo Medical in Iqbal Park, Srinagar. The murder of Bindroo had shocked the Kashmiri community as he was the last address for patients who couldn’t find medicines elsewhere. Makhan Lal Bindroo was known as a brave man who was among few Kashmiri Pandits who had refused to leave the valley during the height of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir during the 1990s.
5 October 2021 – Virendra Paswan
On the same day, another Hindu was killed, 56-year-old Virendra Paswan, a native of Bhagalpur district of Bihar who was residing in Alamgari Bazar Zadibal. The Dalit Hindu was a street vendor by profession who used to sell bhelpuri at the Hawal area of Srinagar.
Earlier Virendra used to work in a factory in Kolkata, but later the factory was shut down and he was move back to Bihar. In his native place, there were some villagers who worked in Kashmir, and they had convinced him to move there as the income is better there.
One the same day, another civilian Mohd Shafi Lone was also killed by terrorists in the Shahgund area of Bandipore in North Kashmir.
7 October 2021 – Satinder Kaur and Deepak Chand
On October 7 last year, terrorists killed two teachers in a school in Srinagar. Principal Satinder Kaur and teacher Deepak Chand died after they were shot at point-blank range at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School in Idgah, Sangam in Srinagar.
Satinder Kaur belonged to the minority Sikh community, while Deepak Chand belonged to the minority community of Kashmiri Pandits. They were selectively killed for their religion, as the terrorists had separated them from the Muslim teachers before shooting at them.
When the terrorists had stormed into the school, the teachers were having a meting in the principal’s office. They reportedly separated the Muslim teachers and dragged the two non-Muslim teachers out of the school premises. Then they opened fire at them at point-blank range and fled from the spot.
7 October 2021 – Arbind Kumar Sah
Several street vendors were being targeted by terrorists in this month, and on 16th October, another street vendor from Bihar who used to sell golgappa, 30 years old Hindu man Arbind Kumar Sah, was shot dead by a terrorist. Citing eyewitnesses, media reports had stated that a terrorist carrying a pistol had stopped near Arbind Kumar Sah’s vending cart and shot him from point-blank range in Srinagar.
Arbind had reached Jammu and Kashmir only three months ago looking for work.
On the same day, another civilian named Sagir Ahmad from Uttar Pradesh was also killed by terrorists in Pulwama. Ahmad was a carpenter by profession, and he was shot when he was standing outside a shop to purchase some items.
13 April 2022 – Surinder Kumar Singh
On April 13th this year, a civilian named Satish Kumar Singh Rajput was killed in a targeted attack. He was fired upon by terrorists in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, and he died after he was shifted to a hospital.
The terrorists had shot Satish Kumar Singh Rajput in the head from a point-blank range in the Pombay Kamprim area of Kulgam district. He was a driver by profession and was a resident of Kakran in Kulgam. He belonged to the Rajput community that had settled in areas bordering Kulgam and Shopian from Punjab about 70 years ago.
The same day, a letter of threat named ‘Letter to kafirs’ was issued by a terror group named Lashker-E-Islam in the valley. “Leave the valley or face dire consequences”, threatened the letter giving a final warning to Kashmiri Pandits, migrants and ‘RSS agents’. The letter further stated that Kashmiri Hindus will be killed and sent to hell for disobeying their diktat and nobody including PM Modi or Amit Shah will be able to save them.
The warning letter to all the ‘non-Muslims’ also noted that they are being watched by ‘followers of Allah’ and that they will have to convert if they want to stay in Kashmir.
A week before this incident, Kashmiri Pandit Bal Krishan was shot by terrorists near his shop in Choutigam village in Shopian. He critically injured in the attack, and was admitted at a hospital for treatment. Bal Krishan is the owner of a medical shop, and he is a resident of Choutigam.
12 May 2022 – Rahul Bhat
On May 12, a Kashmiri Hindu youth Rahul Bhat was killed by militants in Budgam district. Rahul Bhat worked with the revenue department in the Tehsildar office at Chadoora in Budgam. When he was in the office on that day, terrorists had fired at him in the office premises.
He was immediately rushed to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, but he succumbed to injuries.
Rahul Bhat had got the job of a clerk under the special employment package for migrants in 2010-11. He belonged to the Durga Nagar area of Jammu, and lived at the Sheikhpora migrant colony in Budgam.
17 May 2022 – Ranjit Singh
Burqa-clad terrorists had hurled a grenade inside a newly opened wine shop through the porthole window on May 17th, killing one and injuring three others. In the attack in north Kashmir’s Baramulla, one of the employees Ranjit Singh had lost his life.
The other three staff of the shop injured in the attack were Govardhan Singh, Ravi Kumar, and Govind Singh. All four of them are from minority communities in the region hailing from Jammu, therefore it was certain that it was a targeted attack on minorities.
Two terrorists covered in Burqa had arrived on two-wheeler at around 8 pm, who stopped near the shop the Dewan Bagh area , and the pillion rider threw the grenade inside the shop.
Four store employees from Jammu were injured by splinters and were taken to the hospital, where Ranjit Singh of Bakra in Rajouri died. Govardhan Singh, Ravi Kumar, and Govind Singh were the three injured. All four of them are from minority communities in the region, therefore it was certain that it was a targeted attack on minorities.
31 May 2022 – Rajni Bala
On May 31, in yet another targeted killing of a Hindu in Kashmir, 36-year-old Rajni Bala was shot dead by terrorists in Kulgam district’s Gopalpora area. The victim Rajni Bala, wife of Raj Kumaar of Samba district, was working as a teacher at a High School in the Gopalpora area. She was shot outside the school by Islamic terrorists.
The woman teacher had received critical gunshot injuries and was admitted to a hospital. Unfortunately, she later succumbed to her injuries.
This was the second such cowardly incident within a week and the third this month where a Hindu migrant has been targeted by Islamic terrorists in the valley.
Notably, around a week before the attack, Rajni Bala had sought transfer from Kulgam citing terror threats. In a letter written to Chief Education Officer, she had cited “fear and insecurity“ in the wake of targeted killings in Kashmir as the reason of seeking transfer. She had added that her school is located in the Orchard area with no boundaries, and it is not a safe location.
2 June 2022 – Vijay Kumar
On June 2, in another terror act of targeted killing in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Islamic terrorists shot dead a bank employee named Vijay Kumar in the Kulgam district on June 2, Thursday. The deceased Vijay Kumar, who hailed from Hanamangarh in Rajasthan, was the Bank Manager of Elaqahi Dehati Bank. Kumar was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital after he was fired upon by the terrorists at the Arreh Mohanpora Branch in the Kulgam district, where he succumbed to his injuries.
A terrorist had entered the Areh branch of Elaqahi Dehati Bank and shot Vijay Kumar. The visuals of the terrorist entering the bank and shooting Kumar were recorded in CCTV.
This was the fourth such cowardly incident in the last two months where a Hindu has been targeted by Islamic terrorists in the valley.
Apart from the Hindu civilians, several local civilian Muslims and policemen were also killed by terrorists during this period. Some Muslims targeted by the Islamic terrorists were accused of being police informer by terrorists. The terrorists also have specifically targeted and killed several sarpanchs belonging to various political parties. This this year so far, 18 civilians have been killed by terrorists. Last year a total of 39 civilians had lost their lives in targeted attacks by Islamic terrorists.
The denial of the genocide of Kashmir’s Hindus has been ingrained in the country’s common psyche for years. The culprits have never been held accountable because of silence, apathy, counter-narratives, and conspiracy theories that blame the victims for the exodus. However, according to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011.
Although the administration is doing all possible to ensure the safety of Kashmiri Hindus, the situation in the valley has once again become extremely precarious. Due to the recent rise in the spate of targeted killing of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley, Home Minister Amit Shah on June 2, Thursday, chaired a high-level meeting with Ajit Doval, the National Security Adviser and discussed the ongoing situation in the valley. Prior to this, on June 1, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor chaired a key meeting amid targeted killings and set the deadline as June 6, 2022, to relocate PM Package minority employees to ‘secure locations’ in the valley.
