Rahul Bhat killing: Protests continue for second day demanding justice

Kashmiri Pandits on Friday continued to protest demanding justice for Rahul Bhat and security for the minority community in the Valley. They warned of mass resignations if their demands are not fulfilled, writes Samiullah Magray.

Sheikhpora (Budgam):For the first time in the recent history of embattled Kashmir, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits staged a protest on Friday against the killing of Rahul Bhat, a revenue official, who was shot dead by suspected militants inside his office at Chadoora in central Kashmir's Budgam district on Thursday. The protesters blocked a vital road leading to the Srinagar airport. Raising slogans against the ruling BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the protesters threatened mass resignations if adequate security was not provided to them.

Bhat, a member of the Pandit community, was appointed under Prime Minister's Special package to rehabilitate displaced Kashmiri Pandits back in Kashmir. More than 6,000 Pandits have been given government jobs in various departments in the erstwhile state since the scheme was launched by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Even as these employees began working in normal offices across the Valley, they were given secure accommodations in specific clusters built for the purpose. The major demonstration of Pandits was held outside one such cluster at Sheikhpora in central district Budgam. At one point, police swooped on the demonstrators and fired tear gas shells to disperse them. Four protesters were also taken into custody.

The protesters decried that Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha did not bother to visit them for condolences. "We were waiting for Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha till 11 am, but he didn’t turn up. We had no other option and decided to march towards the airport against the killing of Rahul Bhat," a protestor said. "We had informed the administration and police that LG should visit the spot and give us assurance about our safety and justice, but he didn’t visit us."

"Our brother was killed inside his office at his table. We are paying homage to our slain brother. He was very popular at his workplace, but he was done to death," a protestor told ETV Bharat. "We demand that Rahul Bhat's family must be given a compensation of Rs 1 crore. The government should take care of his children's education and his wife should be given a government job in Jammu," he said. A female protester said that they had a lot of hopes on the Prime Minister, but he failed to meet "our expectations". "Where is Modi Ji," she said.

She said that the Prime Minister's rehabilitation package has failed. "We don't want this job. We are ready to serve mass resignations, or we must be transferred to Jammu and allowed to work there," she said. Police said that they were forced to use force against the protesters when they blocked a vital road. They fired teargas shells and resorted to mild baton charge after some people among the protesters resorted to stone-pelting," a senior police officer said. He further said, "Situation is currently under control. Traffic to and from Budgam has been diverted. The airport road is an important link to Srinagar and as such we have to be extra cautious," he said.

Read:Last rites of slain Kashmiri Pandit performed in J&K's Budgam, family demands probe