Members of the Kashmiri pandit community on Monday held a protest in Jammu against the government over the issue of rehabilitation.
Protesters staged a sit-in holding several banners that read- ‘'Minors unsafe in Kashmir', 'Stopping salary is our exploitation', 'Is government waiting for a massacre?', 'Rehabilitation a big failure'.
The government and Kashmiri pandits are at loggerheads over several issues including the salary of the PM package Pandit employees. The Lt Governor Manoj Sinha while addressing mediapersons in Jammu on Wednesday said salaries will not be provided to those sitting at home. Angered with LG's remarks, the PM package Pandit employees staged protest in Jammu. They asserted that they won’t return to their duties in Kashmir till the situation improves in the Valley.
Safety of Kashmriri Pandits in Kashmir:
Nine Kashmiri Pandits have been killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir since 2020, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said four Kashmiri Pandits were killed in 2022 and as many in 2021, while one was killed in 2020. The victims include a person belonging to Kashmiri Rajput community, he said. Replying to another question, Rai said the Union home ministry has spent about Rs 2,815 crore for various aspects of security in Jammu and Kashmir in the last three years. The minister said Rs 1,267 crore was spent in 2019-20, Rs 611 crore in 2020-21 and Rs 936. 095 crore in 2021-22.
