Dr Rajesh Bhat
Kashmiri Pandit organisations, this year also, are going to observe, on January 19, what they call the “ Holocaust Day” or in the context of Kashmir Pandit Migration as the “Exodus Day”. While there can be no denying the fact that Kashmiri Pandits had to leave Kashmir under duress and the community was definitely hounded out by fundamentalist forces, but a closer look on the events leading to the unfortunate migration reveal that it had in fact already been taking place since 1986.
The events seem to reveal a pattern that has been overlooked. For example why should we ignore the fact that prior to January, 19, 1990, the silent migration of the Kashmiri Pandit community hadn’t already begun? In fact precisely after Anantnag riots of 1986, fear psychosis had gripped the community. Then why to stick to January 19 only?
Statistics available reveal that during the period from 1986 to 1988, over 7, 800 land registrations by Kashmiri Pandits for acquiring lands had already taken place in Jammu courts, resulting in emergence of new colonies of Kashmiri Pandit habitations in and around the areas of Janipur, Chinore, Toph Sherkhanian, Bohri, Bantalab and present-day Durga Nagar. Some Kashmiri Pandit families had even purchased plots after they had sensed the mood back-home. The Pandits who had not experienced the trauma of “Kabali raid”, especially Srinagar and South-Kashmir districts, for the first time came face to face with changed socio-religious dynamics of valley and this had the chain effect of keeping collaterals of land elsewhere. In fact, Pandits had reposed their faith in one Mr. (late) O. N Sopori, who facilitated most of such deals. Thus ambiguity created around the day of migration as January 19, 1990 should be removed for all times to come.
For the last so many years, Kashmiri Pandit organisations, selectively and separately, have been observing January 19th either as “Exodus Day” or “Holocaust Day”, thereby giving an impression as if the community had left Kashmir en-masse this day 28 years ago .This year also, with no exception, separate and individual functions are being organised in many parts of the country by half a dozen Pandit organisations which many believe is being done to paint this day because Srinagar had begun to reverberate with the freedom cries of separatists who had chosen right timing and slogans to incite commoners to come out on the streets and break the chains of so-called ‘slavery’. Incidentally, this was the day when Jagmohan for the second time was about to take the gubernatorial position of setting house in order in the strife-torn valley.
There is no denying of the fact that before the black Friday night of January 19, 1990 descended, the already panic-stricken Kashmiri Pandit community got further pushed to the wall when similar kinds of sloganeering and open threats had already been coming in for a long time before January 19th and there was a clear writing on the wall that Kashmir is a closed chapter for Kashmiri Pandits, who claimed to be its aborigines. However, the night of January 19 that year, was definitely a different one as a big assault was unleashed in Srinagar city but it was not a new thing to those who, like this writer, used to live in towns like Sopore, Shopian or Anantnag .
Then why should January 19 be observed as an “ Exodus Day” or a “Holocaust Day”? Simply because some KP organizations, of late, have found a platform to assemble and be in the news? In fact solid evidence reveals that before and after this day, the migration had already been going on and interestingly on January 19, 1990 not a single KP family had migrated to Jammu or elsewhere. The newspaper reports suggest that it was in fact the first week of March 1990, when Kashmiri Pandits moved out of valley en-masse.
As Maha Shrivartri in 1990 was celebrated on 23rd February, 1990, most of the Kashmiri Pandit families had chosen to stay put in Kashmir for the pious day, despite receiving threats and having undergone the trauma of January 19, 1990. It is a fact that they withstood all kinds of abuses; were witness to floating of hit-lists by militant organisations ; accused of being `informers’ etc and masked men openly firing from their Kalashnikovs right from October 1989 under the very nose of administrative authorities who were supposed to create an air of confidence around. As the festival was over, which ritualistically takes two more days to culminate, seeing no improvement in the situation, most of the KP families had then taken the painful decision to move en-masse to Jammu. This tragically was the last Shrivartri Pandits had celebrated in Kashmir.
Over 15,000 clueless Kashmiri Pandit families had first moved en-masse, precisely on March 6 and March 7, 1990, and were trying to look for a shelter in the City of Temples. Some social and cultural organizations had formed a coordination committee to come to their rescue. Its secretary, late M.L Aima is on the record of having looked after rehabilitation schemes. As the number of migrants had begun to swell, It was here when Governor Jagmogan’s administration stepped in, as Geeta Bhawan had fallen too short to accommodate homeless Pandits.
With anti-India tirade unleashed by local and vernacular press in the valley and continuing day in and day out, Excelsior took up the mantle of espousing nationalistic cause and for obvious reasons since then , has become the distinct voice of the voiceless. My colleague of yesteryears and presently Bureau chief of Daily Excelsior, Sanjeev Pargal had in fact reported on March 7, 1990 that for the first time, over 15,000 families had migrated from the valley that week. Excelsior archives bear a testimony to this.
So next time, when you think of January 19, remember, the migration of Pandits was already taking place on an individual basis and same took place en-masse during the first week of March 1990. Unfortunately both State and Central Governments had no clue about it resulting in what has now come to be known as the “loss of idea of India in Kashmir”. The rest is all politics of survival.
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