Exodus Unveiled: Remembering the Forced Displacement of Kashmiri Pandits on January 19, 1990
Report By | Asha Mehta
On January 19, 1990, at around 8:30 pm, a sudden disturbance echoed from a distance, accompanied by announcements blaring through loudspeakers in mosques. Slogans reverberated through the streets, some of which were directed against women, particularly the Kashmiri Pandits. Faced with this alarming situation, some Kashmiri Pandits felt compelled to abandon their homes and flee Kashmir. The following day witnessed a deterioration of the situation, with an unsettling silence dominating the streets.
Every year on January 19, we reflect on the tragic incident that unfolded in Kashmir in 1990, when the Kashmiri Pandit community was forcibly displaced from their homeland. This day serves as a poignant reminder of the oppression and violence endured by the local population at the hands of militants. The pursuit of justice and the return of Kashmiri Pandits to their rightful homes pose significant challenges for the current government.
January 19, 1990, remains the darkest day in the history of Kashmir. The indigenous minority, the Kashmiri Pandit community, was coercively uprooted from the Kashmir Valley at gunpoint. They became refugees in their own country, seeking shelter in Jammu, Delhi, and various other places. Abandoning their homes, now ravaged and occupied by insurgents and anti-social elements, the community faced an unprecedented crisis.
In an interview with The Deccan Bharat, Aanchal Bhatt, the daughter of a Kashmiri Pandit family from Anantnag, recounted the harrowing experience: “My father, who was about to be posted in CBI, received a letter from militants, leading to his and my grandfather’s forced deportation from Kashmir. We had to migrate… my mother’s cousin suffered unimaginable brutality… my parents lived in tents for an extended period, and they got married there. Despite my father’s CBI posting, he had to sell clothes and vegetables.”
Aanchal emphasizes the need for justice, stating, “Whatever happened to us… we deserve justice, and we yearn to return to our homes.”
This community has been systematically targeted for ethnic cleansing. Kashmiri Pandits, deeply rooted in the valley, are integral to Kashmir’s heritage. Although Kashmir is an integral part of India, the very idea of India faces constant threats in the region, with its rich civilization dismantled by fundamentalist forces and Pakistan-backed terrorists.
