Terrorists kill a Kashmiri Pandit, sparking community protests across the state

*Paromita Das

Protests erupted across the Kashmir Valley following the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit, Rahul Bhat, a revenue department employee in Kashmir. Terrorists opened fire on Rahul in the Budgam district’s Tehsildar office Chadoora.

The Kashmiri Pandit community protested the killings in central Kashmir, South Kashmir, and the north. According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, two terrorists were involved in the attack and shot Rahul with a pistol.

“Terrorists opened fire on one employee, Shri Rahul Bhat of the minority community, at the Tehsildar office Chadoora in Budgam. The injured person was immediately taken to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar for treatment, where he died from his injuries. According to preliminary investigations, two terrorists were involved in this heinous crime and used a pistol to commit it,” said Vijay Kumar, IG Kashmir.

It’s the first time the Kashmiri Pandit community has come out in protest of a killing since the 1990s. Migrant Kashmiri Pandits who returned to Kashmir under the Prime Minister’s rehabilitation package staged a protest and blocked the main Srinagar-Budgam Road outside their Shiekhpora security colony. Protests by Kashmiri Pandits were also reported from Anantnag’s Veesu and Mattan areas in South Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Lieutenant Governor “I strongly condemn the barbaric killing of Rahul Bhat by terrorists in Budgam,” Manoj Sinha said. Those responsible for this heinous terror attack will not go unpunished. In this hour of grief, the J&K government stands in solidarity with the bereaved family.”

Politicians from the Kashmir Valley have also condemned the killing, calling it a heinous crime. “Condemn the heinous act in which a Kashmiri Pandit boy named Rahul Bhat was murdered in Chadoora. Another life was lost, and another family was devastated. In this hour of sorrow, my heart goes out to the bereaved family. It also belies the false claims of normalcy in Kashmir,” said Mehbooba Mufti, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also tweeted, “I unequivocally condemn the murderous militant attack on Rahul Bhatt. Rahul was a government employee working in the Chadoora Tehsil office when he was attacked. Targeted killings continue, and fear spreads unabated. My deepest sympathies go out to Rahul’s family. RIP”.

In recent months, there has been an increase in attacks on Kashmiri Pandits and other non-locals in the valley. It has caused widespread fear among the Valley’s minority communities.