Non-migrant KPs threaten agitation, indefinite fast

Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 18: Dozens of non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits today threatened to launch agitation against the Government if their demands aren’t considered while forming schemes and plans for rehabilitation of the migrant community.
The protesters accused the State and Central Government of ignoring the Valley-based Pandits for last 25 years.
Shouting anti Government slogans and carrying placards, the agitated people slammed Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government for ignoring their long pending demands.
Avtar Krishan Rajpori, president of the Hindu Welfare Society said the non-migrant Pandits despite living in the Valley throughout the turmoil have been ignored by the Congress and now by the BJP Government.
Rajpori said the non-migrant Pandits have become the victims of bad politics by some vested interested politicians. “We are treated as second class people by the Government as it has failed to meet our aspirations since the beginning of turmoil here,” he said.
The protesters assembled inside Shri Ram Mandir, Sattu Barbarshah and were scheduled to take out a protest march, but police party reached the venue before scheduled time and closed the main door of the temple to thwart their move.
Although, the community leaders assured the police officials of peaceful march to press the Government for their demands, but police didn’t allow them to come out of the Temple premises.
The protesters later told the media that they have become frustrated due to ill-treatment of Government and lesser economic avenues for the youth. “We lost everything during these years still Government is not serious about us,” they shouted, adding, hundreds of families are living on rented accommodations’ from past many years due to the extensive damage to their residential houses.
They also said rented accommodation hasn’t only become economic liability, but also affected the community people psychologically in absence of proper house and other facilities.
“Government has given every benefit to the migrants, while as non-migrants were neglected,” they said.
Chuni Lal Bhat, publicity secretary, Hindu Welfare Society, said the society will launch an indefinite fast if the Government did not pay special attention towards the Kashmiri Pandits living in the Valley.