THE painful killing of one more Kashmiri Pandit Sanjay Kumar Sharma has come as a setback to an otherwise improving security situation. And it is a killing that can’t be condemned enough. Sharma was on his way to the local market in the Pulwama district when he was shot dead by militants. It is the first such killing since October and took place just when we were beginning to believe that the minority killings were over in the Valley. Even going by the nature of such killings, Sharma was a soft target. He was a bank guard, making ends meet with difficulty. Besides, he was among the Pandits who hadn’t migrated from the valley even during the worst of times.
The killing thus confronts security agencies with a formidable challenge. It is going to make the miniscule Pandit community further insecure, including the hundreds of Pandit employees who have returned to Kashmir to work. And it is now the responsibility of the security forces to take firm steps to protect them and ensure no more minority killing takes place.
Kashmiri Pandit employees have already been demanding their relocation to Jammu till the time Kashmir Valley is safe for their return. However, the administration wants them to rejoin their duties in the Valley. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had earlier said that the employees who do not work, would not be paid, a statement that drew flak from some major politicians and political parties, including the BJP. It is not only killings but also threats to minorities from the militants that have created a widespread scare.
Last year, an outfit even issued a list of Kashmiri Pandits employees they planned to target. This has been a source of deep concern for security agencies and also among the people. However, the government needs to take the killings and threats very seriously. Last year, twenty four people were killed in Kashmir, the victims including Kashmiri Pandits, migrant labourers and security personnel returning for holidays to their homes. This has created a fraught situation. Hence the serious concern expressed by the various political parties including also by Kashmiri Pandit groups is understandable.
Pandit employees have been demanding that the administration waive off the bond requiring them to remain permanently posted in Kashmir. This has created a tricky situation for the administration, which wants all Kashmiri Pandits to return to Kashmir. But may be, we need to wait for it for sometime more. Kashmir has to be made safer before this happens.
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