Kashmiri Pandits, the original inhabitants of Kashmir, have time and again been persecuted by the Muslim majority population of the region. Of the 1,60,000 – 1,70,000 Kashmiri Pandits living in the valley, most were forced to flee the region in in 1989-90 as a result of attacks carried out by violent Islamists.
The brutality of their ethnic cleansing can also be gauged by instances like the Nadimarg massacre where masked terrorists had massacred 24 Kashmiri Pandits including women and children. The cleansing was so thorough and ruthless that in 2016 there were just about 2,764 Kashmiri Hindus left in the valley.
Now it seems that the remaining Pandits too are having a harrowing time. As per a video put out by journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit family living in Kulgam, Kashmir was attacked simply for lighting the customary lamps during Diwali.
In the video, the Pandit is seen claiming that he had lighted up his home during Diwali, this started to cause trouble and he as a result called up the police control room. Authorities later arrived and left after standing guard for 2-4 hours. After they left, a mob started pelting stones and even demolished a boundary wall of their home. He even claimed that the attackers demanded that he go to Jammu to which he firmly responded that he won’t leave the valley.
He also pointed out how he has been living with dignity and couldn’t understand why the attackers were irritated when he lighted a few lamps that the resorted to stone pelting. He as a result of the attack also demanded that protection be given to him, and it remains to be seen what action is taken by the local authorities.
Things aren’t looking very optimistic on that front, as the journalist who shared the news, commented how the Jammu & Kashmir police is silent regarding this matter and questioned why no arrested have been made so far.
Various Twitter users to were taken aback by the incident and chose to react:
https://twitter.com/kpnewschannel/status/921648402017943553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/vikas2397/status/921615309177487360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/sankrant/status/921614889029742594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/IndiaSpeaksPR/status/921650572775886848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/madhukishwar/status/921626643566702592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
UPDATE: Jammu & Kashmir police have registered a case in this regard, though they are treating this altercation as land dispute and not a hate crime.