The colony for Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu’s Jagti area is abuzz with intense discussions these days. Discussions among families, among friends, among neighbours, among the community. And in these discussions, future is synonymous with fear.
The township has more than 175 blocks with 4,200 flats. For many of the residents, it feels like history is repeating itself.
A young Pandit who returned to Kashmir to help his family six months ago is now thinking of giving up his job because, he says, risking his life for a few thousand rupees more just doesn’t seem worth it.
Twenty-eight-year-old Vijay Bhat (name changed), a beneficiary of the special PM Package for Kashmiri Pandits, joined the government’s finance department in Kashmir just six months ago. The situation in the region was tense even then but he never imagined having to relive the same uncertainty his father suffered more than 30 years ago.
Bhat had to leave Kashmir for Jammu within a few hours, forced to leave everything belonging to him at his rented accommodation. He is now planning to go back to giving tuitions to children in the neighbourhood to earn a living.
“If the situation remains the same, which is quite possible, I am thinking of going back to my tuition business. I can’t live without a salary. I have a father who has lost one kidney and will remain ill. I have responsibilities with respect to my sister as well and have to run my family. Risking my life is not possible anymore,” he said.
“I can’t go back. My father also had the same bad memories which I relived a few days back. So I just left everything and moved to our colony in Jammu without thinking about anything else,” Bhat told News18.
He doesn’t want to go back even for a few hours to get his belongings.
“For me, they are not my belongings. I can’t go there. The Muslim landlord quietly told me and my mother that once the situation is out of control, even he won’t be able to save me. That says it all. I can’t risk my life for a few thousand rupees. Everybody is helpless,” he added.
Speaking to News18, his mother revisited the day Bhat was leaving for Kashmir to join his job. “I was happy that at least we have got a job, somebody from among us will be living in Kashmir and things will be fine soon. Our kids will not have to face what we had faced. But these targeted killings have changed everything. My son is here, but his whole setup is in Kashmir. We had spent close to Rs 30,000-Rs 35,000 to set up a room where my son could live. We also used to go there, to be with him. But it seems to be all over now,” she said.
‘Locals Should Support Us This Time’
Sheetal Kaul (name changed) is a teacher who had shifted from Jammu to Kupwara district in 2010 with a couple of others. The women said their landlords were Muslims and never felt as though they were away from their families. But the recent civilian killings have led them to believe that Kupwara is no longer safe for them.
Kaul was recently transferred to Srinagar, but has not yet joined the posting. “I went to Kupwara in 2010 and have seen many events, protests etc. I have seen the time when Kashmir was boiling after Burhan Wani’s killing. But the situation now is different. I never saw targeted killings. Terrorists are targeting few people and killing them, the system is helpless. Unlike 1990s, locals should support us this time, but they are also living in fear,” she told News18.
Asked about going back to work, she said, “I don’t know if the situation will be better, may be in a few months… but if things remain the same, I think it would not be possible to go back. We are common people, unarmed, with jobs. We are their (terrorist) targets.”
Another teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, also opined that working in schools would be a “nightmare”, adding that even if the situation were to “get back to normal, fear would not go 100%”.
“Let’s say the situation goes back to normal. We will still fear everyone entering the school area, thinking he may target us. This fear will take years and years to go. We can’t work at places and then leave them after a few years every time,” she said.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment