J-K FORMS SIT TO PROBE KASHMIRI PANDIT’S KILLING AMID PROTESTS

Jammu and Kashmir government has constituted an SIT to probe the murder of Kashmiri pandit Rahul Bhat, an employee of the Tehsil office in Budgam district’s Chadoora, who was shot dead by terrorists on Thursday.

Taking to Twitter, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced that the J-K administration will provide a government job to Rahul Bhat’s wife in Jammu and financial assistance to his family. “A decision has been taken to constitute special investigative team to probe all the aspects of the despicable terror attack. The SHO of the concerned police station has also been attached,” Office of LG J-K tweeted.

“J&K administration to provide a government job to Rahul Bhat’s wife in Jammu and financial assistance to the family. The government will bear educational expenses of the daughter.”

The last rites of Rahul Bhat were performed at Bantalab here on Friday. ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh, Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, and Deputy Commissioner Avny Lavasa were present at the cremation ground for the last rites.

The wife of Rahul Bhat on Friday said that she is suspecting that terrorists must have acquired information about her husband’s identity from his workplace before killing.

“He used to say everyone behaves nicely with him and nobody can harm him. Yet nobody protected him, they (terrorists) must’ve asked someone about him and his identity, otherwise, how would they’ve known,” the wife said expressing her grief to the media.

The father of the deceased demanded an inquiry into the matter. “First, they asked who Rahul Bhat is and then they shot him. We want inquiry. There was a police station 100 ft away. There must’ve been security at the office but nobody was there. They should check CCTV footage,” he said.

Protests were held in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir against the targeted killing. People hit the roads and raised slogans against the administration while demanding security and justice.

The government employees and families of Kashmiri Pandits living in Budgam protested against the administration over the killing of Bhat.

In another protest in Budgam, people demanded that the LG should speak to them.

“We have been sitting here since yesterday and protesting peacefully. He needs to come here and address us. We had given an ultimatum. We were beaten with sticks. We were protesting peacefully and they beat us,” a protester said.

“If the administration can lathi-charge and tear gas the public, then could they not have caught the terrorist yesterday?” said another protester Aparna Pandit.

The members of the Kashmiri Pandit Employees Association also staged a protest in Anantnag demanding justice. They also demanded their safe relocation.

“We ask the government to re-locate us to places where we feel rehabilitated,” said Sandeep Bhat.

In Sheikhpora, people threatened mass resignations if they were not provided security. “LG administration should provide us security, else we will resort to mass resignation from our respective posts,” Amit, a Kashmiri Pandit said.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut pointed out that reciting the Hanuman Chalisa or switching off loudspeakers will not solve the problems of the Kashmiri Pandits and that the central government must take tough decisions to end the “atmosphere of instability” in the Union Territory.