david01
NEW DELHI: A small group of Kashmiri migrant pandits gathered outside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday to protest against the alleged persecution of their community on July 13, 1931, in the Kashmir Valley. The All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC), a migrant pandit organisation, considers this date as a “black day“.
Before the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of the state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh – by the central government in 2019, July 13 was a gazetted holiday in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
An official ceremony was held annually to honour the 22 Kashmiri individuals killed by a Dogra ruler’s army in 1931. However, the administration removed the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020.
A few dozen ASKPC activists staged a sit-in outside the Raj Bhavan, carrying placards and raising slogans against the alleged atrocities inflicted upon their community.
An ASKPC spokesperson stated, “The seeds of separatism and terrorism were sowed on this day in 1931 when our community was targeted by communal forces. The previous governments nurtured this seed by observing Martyrs Day each year.” The spokesperson added that the community seeks justice and proper rehabilitation.
Before the abrogation of Article 370 and the division of the state into two Union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh – by the central government in 2019, July 13 was a gazetted holiday in the former state of Jammu and Kashmir.
An official ceremony was held annually to honour the 22 Kashmiri individuals killed by a Dogra ruler’s army in 1931. However, the administration removed the day from the list of gazetted holidays in 2020.
A few dozen ASKPC activists staged a sit-in outside the Raj Bhavan, carrying placards and raising slogans against the alleged atrocities inflicted upon their community.
An ASKPC spokesperson stated, “The seeds of separatism and terrorism were sowed on this day in 1931 when our community was targeted by communal forces. The previous governments nurtured this seed by observing Martyrs Day each year.” The spokesperson added that the community seeks justice and proper rehabilitation.
