The Srinagar-based Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS) President, Sanjay Tickoo, seeking intervention of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) to investigate mass massacres of Kashmiri Pandits in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2003.
(Mr. Sanjay K. Tickoo, 45, 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 8,000 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.)
To
The Hon’ble Chairman,
State Human Rights Commission,
Srinagar / Jammu.
Subject: Human Rights Violation against Kashmiri Pandit Community.
May it please your Honour:
With respect and humble humility it is submitted as under on behalf of Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti and the members of the Community:
That since the onslaught of violence from 1989 the Pandit Community became the soft target for anyone who wanted to do something for news value and during that period dozens of members of the Community disappeared and never returned back. There were about is still unknown as mass fear gripped the community and majority left their ancestral home and were scattered in the whole world for their livelihood. During the early 1990s hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits were killed and their F.I.R.’s are still pending before the Police. After a gap of nearly 17 years Police Department is unable to solve these murder cases with respect to the minority Community.
Our Community faced six massacres from 1997 to 2003, 1997 – Sangrampora, 1998 – Wandhama, 1999 – Teelwani, 2000 – Pethbugh, 2001 – Hugam and 2003 – Nadimarg, which reduced our population from 32,000 in 1992 to 9,865 in 2003. It is very disgusting that after a gap of 10 years the Wandhama massacre case has been closed by the Police Department for want of evidences. On the one hand Police Department solves the cases within the stipulated time but in the case of minority these remain unsolved and the state government has failed to come up with a truth. By this the Police Department and the State Government has played with the emotions of the Kashmiri Pandit Community and has given way to those unscrupulous elements who are behind the killing of minority Community to move in the society keeping their heads high.
For the last 17 years our Community was having faith on the State Government that they will bring those persons who were behind these heinous acts but the recent statement (Annexure – A) has scattered all our hopes and trust from the Government. Even at the time of Nadimarg Massacre which happened in 2003, the then DG Police claimed in media that they have recovered nearly 1.5 Kgs of gold ornaments, but it is still unknown whether those gold ornaments were given back to the persons to whom it belonged.
In view of above, it is requested to your worthy goodself, to intervene in the matter as there is no reason for our community to trust on the Police Department and the State Government and direct the State Government to reopen all the cases pertaining to the Community (whether individual or massacres or disappearances) and the cases be handed over to C.B.I. (Central Bureau of Investigation) so that truth comes fore.
Yours faithfully
Sanjay K. Tickoo
President
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