Sanjay’s organization hosted an exhibition that drew audience from all major separatist organizations in the valley
(Mr. Sanjay K. Tickoo, 46, was born and raised in Srinagar. After graduating from Hindu High School in Sheetal Nath, Srinagar, he completed his B.Sc. degree from S. P. College, Srinagar. Currently self-employed, his hobbies are reading and traveling. He is among the 4,000 brave Pandit souls who have weathered the worst of the militancy in Kashmir, and is proud to call himself a citizen of Kashmir who stayed put in the valley. He is the President of the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti – KPSS.)
KASHMIRI PANDIT SANGARSH SAMITI (KPSS)
Sathu Barbar Shah, Srinagar, Kashmir – 190 001
Press Release
From the past so many years it has been the primary agenda of the KPSS to protect the religious places and its properties from the unscrupulous elements from being desecrated or alienated by way of deeds and agreements. And to this effect KPSS is already pleading the cause before the Government and its functionaries so that the identity of the Kashmiri Pandits could be saved in practical terms. But till date nothing positive is yielded from their side except the hollow promises and lip sympathy. In addition to that some Non-State Subjects having very good nexus with some locals, Government officials and blessings of some high profile politicians are alienating the properties of our religious places and institutions to mint their fortunes and vanishing the culture and identity of the Kashmiri Pandits in particular and the age old heritage of a Kashmiri in general.
As this is a well known fact that after the mass exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit Community from the Valley in 1990, the worship places were the most neglected ones. Neither the successive Governments never tried to protect them nor a single word came from the local or Separatists leadership side, even after our repeated appeals through press or one to one meetings.
Worship places play a big role as the identity of a Community and so without these religious places the identity of the Kashmiri Pandit Community is under a big question mark, as unfortunately some person’s within the Kashmiri Society are working in hand with some vested interest persons to vanish the existence of this miniscule community from the Valley for their petty political gains and interests and the blame is put on all the Kashmiri Society. So we feel that it is duty of all common citizens of the Valley to contribute in their own ways and means to protect these religious places belonging to the minority community.
Today’s photo exhibition under the theme “PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS PLACES (Challenges & Responsibilities)” is an attempt to protect the religious places with the active support from the Muslim Majority Community living in the Valley, obviously, which is our last hope.
So we appeal who so ever is part of this Kashmiri Society whether it be the local Leadership (main stream or separatists), Civil Societies, Intellectuals and Religious Scholars to come forward to denounce these acts which cause the moral and religious imbalance in the Society and impress upon the general public to protect the worship places belonging to Minority Community.