The families of Kashmiri Pandits on Monday thronged Jantar Mantar to commemorate the martyrs killed in the massacre in the late eighties. Showing their grief by tying black cloth on their heads, Kashmiri Pandits paid tribute to Tika lal Taploo, leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who was gunned down in Srinagar 26 years ago.
Evoking the days of massacre, Dr SS Toshkhani, scholar, Kashmiri literature said that the massacre was an act to eradicate the Hindu sanskriti (civilisation). Kashmiri population is very minute but still struggling for their existence and preserving all the historical evidence of their civilization for the next Kashmiri generation. “The fight will be continued. After us, the next generation will lead the front,” said Toshkhani.
Many of the Kashmiri Pandits were demanding probe into the killings of Kashmiri Pandits while some of them still want to go back to their homeland. Remembering the martyr Tikalal Taploo, a Kashmiri boy said that Tiploo was the first martyr, a great patriot and a prominent leader. His contribution of strengthening nationalist forces and commitment to defeat anti-Indian/anti - nationalists can never be neglected.
Expressing the concern on the present situation in Kashmir, Sumit Raina, a business executive said that Kashmiri Pandits want their homeland back. “The Government and all the leading political fronts need to think about the present situation in Kashmir. The youngsters who are joining the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and propagating the ISIS ideology is the next threat to the remaining Indian-Hindu community there,” said Raina.
“The Hindu families in Kashmir are not safe. The 70 Hindu families living near the Kheerbhavani Temple are under threat,” Raina added.
Sharing the magnificence of Kashmir, they said that Kashmir has given lot to the world. The world cannot neglect the contribution of Kashmiri Pandits in the studies of mathematics, esthetics, music, art and culture. But unfortunately, today a Kasmiri pandit has to fight for his existence in his own homeland,” said a Kashmiri migrant.