Killing of Kashmiri Pandit sarpanch reminds 1990s horror, triggers outrage

Pandita, who was a sarpanch of the Larkhipora area in Anantnag district and a member of the Congress party, was shot dead by terrorists in his native village at 6 pm.

Condoling Pandita's death, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi tweeted, "My condolences to the family and friends of Ajay Pandita, who sacrificed his life for the democratic process in Kashmir. We stand with you in this time of grief. Violence will never win."

Reacting to the killing, one Anurag Srivastava tweeted, "Islamist Terrorists shoot dead Sarpanch Ajay Pandita in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag. He was the only Hindu Political Person in Valley!"

Amit Raina tweeted, "His fault was that he was a Kashmiri Pandit, trying to revive political process in Kashmir. Many salutes to your bravery, dear brother Ajay Pandita. May your soul attain moksha. I promise that your martyrdom will not go down in vain. We will fight for the cause and our homeland."

One with the Twitter name Roots in Kashmir said, "In a  shocking event, one Kashmiri pandit sarpanch named Ajay pandita (Bharti) was shot dead by militants, even after 30 years they are still after us but it won't deter us and we will keep fighting for our motherland. May Ajay ji attain moksha. Om shanti."

Some other reactions

Union Minister Jitendra Singh tweeted, "Brutal killing of Sarpanch Ajay Pandita in Anantnag, #Kashmir ,is a desperate act by terrorists on the run, trying in vain to defeat the process of establishing grassroot democracy, initiated under PM Sh @narendramodi, with successful holding of local Panchayat and BDC elections."

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, "Very sorry to hear about the killing of sarpanch Ajay Pandita in Anantnag earlier this afternoon. I unequivocally condemn this terror attack on a grassroots political worker & pray that his soul rests in peace."

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's daughter Iltija Mufti tweeted, "Terrible news.Condolences to the family.Shrinking political space in Kashmir has made political party workers all the more vulnerable.They are stuck between punitive actions of a vindictive government & militants on the other end."

In her reaction to the killing of the Pandit, columnist Sunanda Vashisht, who had articulated the plight of Kashmiri Hindus at a US human rights hearing last year, tweeted, "My tears have dried up. The sacred thread has been red for many centuries. We will live to get its sanctity back. If not us then future generations. The resolve is only strengthened. There is no time for tears."

Pandita's killing reminded the cold, dark night of Jan 19, 1990, when the Pandits including the Sikhs and Hindus were forced out of Kashmir following a bloody campaign launched by Pakistan-supported terrorists to ethnically cleanse the Valley.

Despite being ruthlessly ousted from their homeland, Kashmiri Pandits have persistently yet peacefully demanded attention from the governments at the Centre to reclaim their rightful place in the Valley.

(Image Credit: Organiser)