Srinagar: A Hindu teacher from Jammu was shot dead on Tuesday by terrorists in the Valley’s Kulgam district, evoking widespread condemnation. She was a migrant Kashmiri Pandit.
Thirty-six-year-old Rajni Bala belonged to the Samba district but was posted at a government school in Gopalpora, Kulgam.
Police officials said Bala was injured in the attack and taken to a nearby district hospital where she was declared dead.
An official said the area has been cordoned off and a manhunt was launched to track down the assailants. “Those involved in this gruesome terror crime will be soon identified and neutralised,” a police spokesperson.
This is the second killing of a non-Muslim government employee in the month of May. On May 12, Rahul Bhat, a clerk, was shot dead inside the tehsildar’s office in Chadoora tehsil of Budgam district.
Of the seven targeted killings that took place in Kashmir this month, three victims were off-duty policemen and four were civilians.
“Very sad. This is yet another targeted killing in a long list of recent attacks directed at unarmed civilians. Words of condemnation & condolence ring hollow as do the assurances of the government that they will not rest till the situation normalises. May the deceased rest in peace,” National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah tweeted.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said despite the Centre’s claims of normalcy in Kashmir, targeted killings were on the rise.
The woman’s killing evoked widespread condemnation in the Valley. Many Kashmiri Pandits were out on the streets protesting the teacher’s killing and raised questions against the Central Government regarding their safety. The government claims that everything is going back to normalcy after the abrogation of Article 370 is not proving to be true.
According to a report by Samriddhi K Sakunia, a journalist, many Kashmiri Pandits are unhappy with the Central Government and it’s dealing with the Prime Minister’s employment package for the ingenious group.
The PM employment package was first introduced by the UPA government in the hope to lure Kashmiri Pandits back to the Valley. Of the 44,167 families of whom 39,782 are Hindus fled the Valley in the 90s when the exodus was rising.
Some 6,000 posts were opened for migrant Kashmiri Pandits of which, 5,928 posts were filled. The scheme also promises secure accommodation. However, only 1,037 live in secure accommodation. The remaining live in rental spaces.
Neither space nor safety
But it is not all rosy for the 1,037 families. They claim that there neither enjoy safety nor space. Kamal was just 1.5 years old when his family fled the Valley. He came back with his wife leaving the posh life of Delhi to live closer to his ancestors. He is one of the applicants for the PM employment package scheme.
According to Kamal, the houses provided are so weak that if you throw a stone it will get damaged. Three families end up sharing a 1BHK flat owing to a lack of accommodation and safety.
Amit, another protesting Pandit, said that these “secured houses” are made of asbestos with a shelf life of six months. “There is no maintenance from the government’s end. People find it extremely impossible to survive in extreme weather conditions under these asbestos roofs,” Amit said.
No promotions, no salary hikes
Kamal who has been working under this scheme for the last five years says that he works with no hope of an increase in salary or promotion. “Those who joined after me are being promoted to senior levels. It is humiliating to report under them,” he said.
He claimed that in 2008, they were allegedly asked to sign a bond that termed them as “bonded employees”, and hence, they are not eligible for either a promotion or a salary hike.
It’s not just this, Kamal and his colleagues have faced delays in dispensing salaries. When he started working, he had to wait for nearly a year to get his first salary.
There are many loopholes in the scheme. The UPA government promised to provide Rs 500/family in 1990. The Modi government increased it to Rs 13,000/family till March 2021. However, some of the employees claim that they have not received this amount.
Risky postings
Lastly, employees, while joining, were promised they will be posted to district level areas. However, most of them are posted to areas close to the mountains, the hotspots of militancy. Pandits fear their appearance such as tilak, sindoor, etc can attract unwanted attention. “If I wear a tilak on my forehead, I am questioned why I am wearing it. The other day, my wife was questioned for wearing bindi and was later questioned for her attire,” said a pandit.
Do not feel Indians
Many Kashmiri Pandits feel they are not a part of the remaining country because of the step-motherly treatment meted on them through various governments, including the current one. The recent killings are only sealing this fear.
(With inputs from PTI)
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