It has been 35 years since the Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave Kashmir by the Jihadis. The exodus, a dark chapter in Indian history, was marked by violence, fear, and forced migration. Despite the lapse of time, the victims are still waiting for justice, and the community continues to face resistance to resettlement efforts because of threat from Islamists, terrorism, and other factors.
The events of 1990 were not sudden, though the way history has been written, they may appear so. The seeds of the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus were sown long before the fateful January of 1990. The forced exodus was the culmination of a longstanding intention to purge the Valley of its Hindu population, planned and executed by radical Islamic elements. The terrifying slogan, “Raliv, Galiv ya Chaaliv” (convert, leave, or perish), echoed in the Valley’s air for years to drive out Kashmiri Hindus.
The long shadow of history
The persecution of Kashmiri Hindus is not a modern phenomenon. The Valley, once thriving with Hindu civilisation, faced waves of attacks from the 14th century onward. During the Sikh-Dogra rule from 1819 to 1930, there was some relief for the Hindus. However, by the 1930s, radical Islamic influences re-emerged. The anti-Hindu sentiment was fueled by figures such as Sheikh Abdullah and Abdul Qadir. The first recorded evidence of a violent Islamist uprising occurred on 13th July 1931, marked by the infamous slogan demanding the conversion or expulsion of Hindus from the Valley. What began as riots turned into organised killings, rapes, and forced conversions.
The situation worsened in 1947 when Pakistani forces and tribal militias attacked Kashmir during the India-Pakistan Partition. It is believed that around 11,000 to 14,000 Hindus were brutally murdered in Baramulla and Muzaffarabad. There were widespread atrocities, including the looting of homes, rapes, and the abduction of women. Despite the intervention of Indian forces, the trauma inflicted on Hindus and Sikhs left an indelible scar.
Rise of militancy in modern Kashmir
In the following decades, Kashmir witnessed periodic episodes of violence. The foundation for the modern crisis of the 1990s was laid in 1987 with the most rigged elections in Indian history. Farooq Abdullah’s government, in collaboration with the Congress, crushed the pro-Pakistan Muslim United Front (MUF) electorally but allowed them space to foment unrest. By 1988, militancy escalated in the Valley. Bomb blasts, targeted killings, and calls for the imposition of Sharia law became “normal” in Kashmir.
The period between July and December 1989 saw a sharp rise in terror activities. Posters started appearing on the doors of Hindu homes, threatening the residents to leave. The killings began with chilling precision.
March 14, 1989: Prabhavati from Budgam district was killed at Hari Singh High Street, Srinagar, J&K.
September 14, 1989: A top-rated lawyer and social and political activist, Tikka Lal Taploo, was gunned down by the JKLF killers in Habba Kadal, Srinagar.
October 4, 1989: An ex-Sessions Judge Nila Kanth Ganjoo, who emerged as a detestable Kafir when he ordered the execution of the dreaded Maqbool Butt, and based on the evidence deposed, that was later also upheld by the Apex Court.
October 31, 1989: Sheela Koul (Tiku), a housewife, was gunned down by JKLF terrorists at Shivapora, Srinagar. When the ambulance failed to arrive, she was carried to the hospital on a folding bed, where she was left unattended.
December 1, 1989: Ajay Kapoor was in his locality where he was showered with a volley of bullets in cold blood by the JKLF butchers.
December 27, 1989: 57-year-old prominent lawyer Prem Nath Bhatt of Anantnag returned to his home when the Muslim terrorists pumped bullets straight into his head in full public view.
As these killings unfolded, the Farooq Abdullah government abdicated its responsibilities and the CM reportedly fled to London on 18th January 1990. The Valley was left to the mercy of jihadis. On 19th January 1990, Kashmiri Hindus faced their darkest hour. The streets of the Valley echoed with slogans from mosque loudspeakers. Hindus were threatened with death or conversion. Thousands of Hindus fled, terror-stricken, with no choice but to leave their ancestral homes.
A genocide ignored
The exodus, which saw over 300,000 Hindus leave their ancestral homes, was largely ignored by the Indian media and political class. Reports of the genocide were relegated to obscure corners of newspapers, with no significant national outrage. The Rajiv Gandhi government at the Centre and the Farooq Abdullah government in the state failed to act on the calls for help from Hindus, leading to the systematic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus.
By the end of 1990, over 300 government employees and security personnel were killed by militants. Subsequent massacres in Wandhama, Chapnari, and Doda only reinforced the pattern of terror against Hindus. The ideological campaign of “Islamisation” sought to erase the Valley’s Hindu heritage as temples were destroyed and religious practices suppressed.
The chilling details of the brutal murder of Girija Tickoo echo in the minds of every Hindu who has heard or read about it. Tickoo, who was gang-raped and cut into half using a mechanical saw while alive, still awaits justice. Many Hindu souls like Tickoo are still waiting to see the day when Hindus return to the Valley and reclaim what was theirs.
Justice delayed, hope denied
Three and a half decades later, the Kashmiri Pandit community (Kashmiri Hindus) still awaits justice. The Modi Government has made some promising efforts to bring back Hindus to the Valley. However, these efforts to resettle them in the Valley have been met with resistance, and there is little progress on prosecuting the perpetrators of the genocide. Meanwhile, the community has displayed remarkable resilience, narrating their plight through debates and discussions without resorting to hate or violence.
As India reflects on the 35th anniversary of the exodus, one question continues to haunt: why are Kashmiri Hindus still waiting for justice?
