Kashmiri Pandit employees seek Shah's intervention over threat letters
Employees recruited under the PM's rehabilitation package have written to the Home Minister seeking probes, security audits and protection.
A body representing Kashmiri Pandit employees working in the Valley under the Prime Minister's rehabilitation package has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, flagging a recent spurt in threatening letters and intimidation directed at the community and at package employees.
The letter, sent by the All PM Package Employees Forum, says many in the community feel that their social rehabilitation and acceptance has not moved forward at the pace they had expected, and that an atmosphere of uncertainty is making the task of rebuilding lives in Kashmir extremely difficult.
The forum described the recent threats as part of a pattern rather than isolated incidents, recalling that similar letters and notices in the 1990s preceded the fear that led to the mass displacement of Kashmiri Hindu families. Over the past two months, several such letters have been received, with some carrying the names, residential addresses and mobile numbers of employees working in the Valley.
Urging the Home Minister to treat the matter with the utmost seriousness, the employees have sought a thorough investigation, identification of those behind the threats and strict legal action against them. They have also asked for stronger intelligence gathering and preventive security measures around package employees, their families and their residential colonies, along with a comprehensive security review of the community and its settlements.
The letter calls for close monitoring of any emerging pattern of targeted intimidation and for a mechanism that allows employees to report threats immediately and receive timely protection, so that they are not forced to choose between their livelihood and their personal safety.
It also asks that the legitimate property rights and grievances of displaced Kashmiri Pandits be addressed in a transparent and legally sound manner.
Recalling that members of the community have been making sincere but difficult efforts to resettle in Kashmir and rebuild their lives since 2016, the letter says they returned with hope, courage and faith in the Government of India, and tried to live peacefully and become part of the Valley's social fabric once again. It adds, however, that targeted killings of civilians and members of the Kashmiri Hindu community since 2021 have instilled deep fear in their families, reviving memories of the 1990s and raising concerns that the community could once again be forced into displacement.