Forced Migration from Kashmir

IN the wake of terrorists' violence, more than 50,000 families migrated from strife torn Kashmir valley and got themselves registered with the government authorities in various districts in Jammu region by the end of November 1990. Among them 45,275 families were registered at Jammu itself. They included  35459 Hindu (Kashmiri Pandit) families. Since then a good number of  families have fled away from the Kashmir valley and barring a handful numbering not more than 100, no Hindus have been left in Srinagar city. 

The systematic process of killing the Hindu population began as early as on February 27 in 1990 when Mr. Tej Krishan, a Hindu was hanged to death at Yachikot Lidder near Pahalgam in Anantnag district of the Kashmir valley. On April 22 same year the body of Joginder Malhotra was recovered by the police from Safakadal locality in Srinagar city. He was found to have been hanged to death. After five days, terrorists intruded in the house of Bharat Bhushan, another Hindu who was a medical assistant. He was abducted by the terrorists. His body was later found hanging from a tree. The process continued. The list is a long one and the stories of torture unleashed on the Hindu population are heart rending. 

Three Probationary officers of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), an autonomous body, were abducted by the terrorists from a public park on June 23 in 1991. They were severely tortured and locked in a vacant house of a Hindu migrant. The house was later set on fire. Two of them died in the fire while the lucky one was rescued by the police and rushed to the hospital. 

In October 1991, the terrorists embarked upon setting fire to the vacant houses of the migrants in another systematic manner. The process is continuing. It seems that the terrorists after pushing out the entire Hindu population from the Kashmir valley now want to close down any process of return of the Hindu population by burning their vacant houses, their last link with the valley.