The protesters first assembled at the Sheikhpora area of Budgam district, in central Kashmir, and then tried to proceed towards the airport but were stopped by a posse of police personnel, they said.
'Tourism will get hit. Thousands of lives will suffer. Businesses will shut down.'
A day after he was shot dead by terrorists, Kashmiri Pandit bank guard Sanjay Sharma was cremated in his native village in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district on Monday, with his Muslim neighbours lending a helping hand to his grief-stricken family.
Two terrorists believed to be behind Sunday's killing of a Kashmiri Pandit were gunned down early on Tuesday in an encounter with security forces inside a mosque in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. An Indian Army jawan was also killed.
The appeal by the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) came after a delegation led by its president Farooq Abdullah met Jammu and Kashmiri Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.
The usual rush of devotees was missing this year, presumably due to the Pahalgam terror attack and the military action between India and Pakistan following it.
Kashmiri Pandits offer special prayers during the Navreh festival at the Mata Chakreshwari temple in Srinagar, April, 2, 2022.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday ordered an inquiry into the use of force against the Kashmiri Pandit employees who were protesting the killing of Rahul Bhat.
'Killed #terrorist identified as Aqib Mustaq Bhat of #Pulwama (A category). He initially worked for HM #terror outfit, nowadays he had been working with TRF. #Killer of late Sanjay Sharma #neutralised,' Kumar tweeted.
Rai also said that a total of 5,502 Kashmiri Pandits have been provided government jobs in different departments of Jammu and Kashmir administration in the Kashmir Valley under the PMDP.
The BJP is doing politics over the issue. We demand 'The Kashmir Files' film to be uploaded on YouTube, Kejriwal said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the county will never forget the sufferings of the Kashmiri Pandit families.
Puran Krishan was attacked near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir district, they said, adding that doctors declared Krishan brought dead after he was shifted to Shopian hospital.
The victim was identified as Sanjay Sharma, a resident of the Achan area in the south Kashmir district, they said, adding that the incident took place at around 11 am.
Kashmiri Pandits performed a havan (special prayers) at the Zestha Devi temple on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar on Friday, May 20, 2022.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday reached out to displaced Kashmiri Pandits, saying he and his family belong to this community, and promised them all help.
Security agencies in Jammu and Kashmir are facing a new threat from 'bedroom jihadis' who use social media to spread misinformation and incite communal discord. These individuals, operating from their homes, are part of a sophisticated cross-border effort to destabilize the region by disseminating inflammatory content and propaganda.
The duo came under the scanner of the security forces during tracking of a local LeT terrorist, named Lateef Rather alias Osama, who was involved in terror incidents in Srinagar and Budgam in the last two months, the police spokesman said.
Former separatist leader Bilal Gani Lone has entered mainstream politics, aiming to represent his father's legacy and address the issues facing Kashmiri youth.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has transferred five Kashmiri Pandit employees from Kashmir to Jammu, a step welcomed by the community members who have been on a strike for over two months in support of the demand for their relocation over safety concerns.
The protesters assembled under the banner of the newly-formed Kashmiri Pandits United Front in front of the statue of Maharaja Hari Singh, near the Tawi bridge in the heart of Jammu.
Raising slogans against Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and the administration, the demonstrators, mostly government employees posted in the troubled valley and their kin, demanded that they be provided adequate security or be transferred to Jammu. The employees also threatened en masse resignation from their jobs.
A government employee belonging to the Kashmir Pandit community was shot dead by suspected militants at his office in the Chadoora area of Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said in Srinagar.
A curative petition was filed in the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking reconsideration of its 2017 order dismissing a plea which had sought investigation into the alleged mass murder of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley in 1989-1990.
Shouting slogans against district administration, the protestors raised slogans like "we want justice".
"Whether we are back or away, if they put Kashmiri Pandits in isolation, they will never see peace in Kashmir."
"Kashmir mein naee hava bah rahee hai (New winds are blowing in Kashmir) and we will all build a new Kashmir together that will be for everyone," he told the delegation.
Ajay Pandita, sarpanch of the Larkipora area in Anantnag district and a member of the Congress party, was shot at by terrorists in his native village at around 6 pm, a police official said. He said Pandita was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries.
The actor said she was disturbed by the "plight" of Kashmiri Pandits shown in 'The Kashmir Files'.
Official also said the recent escalation in targeted terrorist violence would not lead to any change in plans for holding the annual Amarnath Yatra which is scheduled from June 30-August 11.
Terrorists have stepped up attacks in the Kashmir valley over the past week.
Kashmir zone inspector general of police Vijay Kumar also urged the protesters to be patient and 'not get carried away by political parties.'
'I hope we can move towards peace, stability, and national unity.' 'I believe most Kashmiris want that too.'
While a verified Twitter handle of the Information and Public Relations department of Shopian claimed that the news about leaving of 'Kashmiri non-migrant Hindu population' was 'baseless', Ashwani Kumar Bhat, whose brother Puran Krishan Bhat was gunned down by terrorists on October 16, told reporters in Jammu that he has migrated and will never return to the Valley.
Kashmiri Pandits in the US have appealed to President Barack Obama to take up their cause and the need to protect their fundamental rights in the Valley during his meetings with top Indian leadership.
"If a person is shot inside his office, nobody is safe in the valley. When such a thing has happened it is a glaring example of the government's failure. Those serving (among the Kashmiri Pandits) there are doing it at their own risk as the government has failed to provide security to them," Bhat's father said.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah attended Kashmiri Pandit businessman Makhan Lal Bindroo's funeral on Wednesday.
Amid demands for withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act from their state, Kashmiri Pandits on Wednesday opposed any such move and asked the Centre to take the views of all shades of opinion of the state before deciding on any major issue related to the state.
'There is no point in just saying, 'hum wapas bhej denge (we will send Kashmiri Pandits back)'.'
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