This is an extremely sensitive topic so kindly refrain from pre-judgements and biases. With the recent release of the movie “The Kashmir Files”, an attempt to acknowledge the horrors of the Kashmiri Hindus’ (or pandits’) exodus has been made.
Before this release, we might or might not have heard about the brutal Kashmiri genocide that happened in the 1990s. Since it happened before most of us ‘millennials’ were even born and the media never roared… Until now! Personally, I got to know about the massacre a few years ago.
After researching, I found that there was nothing much in the mainstream media and our “education system” has never mentioned this chapter of Kashmiri history.
Media Didn’t Cover The Issue As It Should Have
I think you won’t find much data about it even today. The media not “unbiasedly” cover the exodus of pandits—it’s own people. The then government was busy making deals with the separatists than looking after providing justice to the survivors and victims of one of the most horrible crimes: “native, Hindu, Kashmiri pandits”.
Farooq Abdullah’s National Conference government was in power at the state level. But, you might be surprised to note that the VP Singh government, supported by the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), was in power at the central level. Also, the governor of Jammu & Kashmir was a man named Jagmohan, a former civil servant, who joined the BJP with the backing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
It was sad and dehumanising at the same time. The separatists and terrorists were whitewashed. Somehow, the survivors were blamed. Their socio- economic status was blamed.
I wonder how those so-called “intellectual” journalists ignored the massacre of innocent. Those kids, women and men, entire families killed by terrorists for being “humane and tolerant Hindus”.
Where Did The Government Fail?
Kashmir, which is an integral part of Bharat since ancient times. I strongly believe that it solely belongs to us i.e., Indians. Then, why was it invaded and terrorised? Why was bloodshed carried out by the terrorists?
What could have helped those separatists and the terror camps bloom? The conclusion comes down completely to the “irresponsible government” and their completely inefficient system that:
- Failed to secure the borders of Kashmir.
- Failed to suppress the deeply embedded, terror organisations growing in Kashmir in the ’90s. And, this problem still creates major security issues for India even today.
- Failed to provide proper military aid to safeguard to all the victims in Kashmir.
- Failed to understand the true meaning of “secularism”.
- Indulging in appeasement politics.
Don’t Try To Deny Genocide
It is high time we now acknowledge the uncompensated loss and fright of Kashmiri pandits; and provide them with their long due justice.
The so-called liberals who shout for the human rights of terrorists, do not even bother to speak up for the real victims of a genocide.
The government and media then was busy covering up the truth rather than unfolding it in the public domain. They were in the “denial” mode as far as this genocide is concerned. This mistake could have costed them terms in jail if they were in a European country or Israel.
You want to know why? Because, “holocaust denial” is a legal term and a punishable offence in European countries and Israel.
‘The Kashmir Files’ Is NOT A Work Of Fiction
The United Nations General Assembly has in fact adopted a genocide convention that focuses on creating awareness and prevention.
In the latest update, Rhode Island, a state in the US has accepted the “exodus of Kashmiri pandits” as an act of ethnic cleansing, as witnessed by a picture tweeted by the director of the film, Vivek Agnihotri.
https://twitter.com/vivekagnihotri/status/1503292136262799368?t=iKYrzRZnm6Q7eeEqYf00LA&s=19
Agnihotri received a citation signed by representative Brian Patrick Kennedy, speaker pro-tempore, of Rhode Island. The citation reads:
“The Rhode Island House of Representatives hereby offers its sincerest congratulations to Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, director and filmmaker, in recognition of the premiere of The Kashmir Files, detailing terrorism and extremism by memorialising the events of 1990 in which 500,000 Kashmiri Hindus were ethnically cleansed in the Kashmir valley by Islamic gangs and forced to live as refugees.”
Yet some people will blatantly call this movie a “work of fiction”, which it is clearly not.
Watch ‘The Kashmir Files’ Now!
Every Indian citizen must watch The Kashmir Files with an unbiased mind and learn about this incident. This movie depicts the unimaginable pain of our own people and fellow citizens.
We, as educated youths, must not get wrongly influenced and strongly scrutinise everything before forming an opinion. Twisted, whitewashed history has always led to future rifts. So, it is very crucial to be aware of the real history.
Let’s all stand by the victims, raise our voices for them, and stay curious when it comes to learning about the true history of this nation.
Jai Hind!