A Kashmiri Pandit was shot dead by terrorists in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
The deceased has been identified as Rahul Bhat, an employee of the Tehsil office in the Budgam district’s Chadoora. Injured Rahul Bhat was taken to Srinagar’s SMHS hospital, where he was declared dead.
Migrant Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), the majority of whom work for the government under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package, took to the streets across Kashmir on Thursday to protest the killing of their colleague Rahul Bhat in Chadoora, Budgam.
To protest the killings, protestors blocked the Srinagar-Jammu highway outside the Vessu migrant KP colony in Qazigund, Anantnag district. They also lit candles to show their displeasure.
One of the protesters claimed that migrant KPs were previously targeted and are now being targeted under the BJP regime as well. On the condition of anonymity, he said, “If rehabilitation costs our lives, we will prefer to resign en masse and flee Kashmir forever.” “Militants are making us easy targets. they should also make their positions clear. If they intend to kill us all, they should say it out loud. Nonetheless, despite making bold claims, the government has failed to protect us.”
Hundreds of vehicles were stranded for hours after protestors blocked the Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Qazigund. A large protest was also held outside the migrant KP colony in Sheikhpora, Budgam, where women and men from the Pandit community sat in the middle of the road in protest of the killing of Rahul Bhat, a KP employee, who was shot dead by militants while on duty at the Tehsil office Chadoora, Budgam.
Amid the wails and shrieks, a woman protestor stated that they had not come to Kashmir to be killed. “Is this the rehabilitation that the BJP has promised?” This rehabilitation is not something we want. The killers of Rahul must be apprehended by the police. While others tried to console her, she said, “We also want to know why militants are killing us.”
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Vijay Kumar paid a visit to Sheikhpora, Budgam, to express solidarity and condolences to the slain employee’s coworkers. The protestors, on the other hand, insisted that he bring Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to the scene.
Another protestor claimed that the BJP administration had failed badly to protect the migrant KPs who had been brought back under PM Narendra Modi’s rehabilitation plan. Many protestors claimed that Rahul Bhat’s death at the Tehsil office in Chadoora constituted a huge security breach. “How did militants gain access to the Tehsil office and murder Rahul?” they wondered.
Another large protest was organised outside the KP migrant community Nikas along the Pulwama-Shopian route. Protesters chanted slogans: “Fail Hai, Fail Hai, Administration Fail Hai” (The administration has failed us).
“The government should improve our security cover so that similar killings do not occur again,” the demonstrators shouted. Protests were also reported in Baramulla’s northern district after Pandit members gathered at Veerwan to demand justice, and security for KPs employed under the PM’s package. As per sources, Aqib and Latif of Lashkar-e-Toiba carried out the attack on Rahul Bhat.