Kashmiri Pandit employees stage protest

Srinagar, Apr 24: Scores of Kashmiri Pandit employees recruited under the Prime Minister’s Special Employment Package staged a silent sit‑in here today, denouncing the recent terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, urging authorities to spell out a credible security plan for minority staff posted across the Valley.

The protestors gathered near the Press Enclave in the city centre here, and lit candles and observed two minutes of silence in memory of the tourists killed in a terror attack on the popular south‑Kashmir resort. Placards reading “Justice for Victims” and “Ensure Our Safety” ringed the gathering.

“The Valley had been largely peaceful in recent years, but the Pahalgam massacre has shaken everyone,” the Pandits said. “If visitors who come here for just a few days aren’t safe, how can minority employees who live and work here feel secure?”

They stressed that the sit‑in was both a tribute to the slain tourists and a call for concrete safeguards. “We are not here to create unrest. We are here to remind the government that our lives matter too.”

They demanded a comprehensive Security Audit of all PM‑package residential colonies and offices. They also demanded permanent armed protection comparable to that provided at vital installations and Emergency Evacuation Protocols, and helplines exclusively for minority employees.

“We have flagged these concerns repeatedly,” they said. “But after Pahalgam, rhetoric is not enough. We need to hear what concrete steps the government has devised.”

Officials said the administration is “assessing the security grid” after the attack and will “soon announce additional measures to protect vulnerable populations.”

About 4,000 Kashmiri Pandits serve in various government departments under the Prime Minister’s 2008 rehabilitation scheme. Most reside in purpose‑built transit camps guarded by police, but they travel daily to offices spread across the Valley.