Kashmir’s migrant employees continue to leave for Jammu

J&K Police are also keeping close vigil on the localities where pandit employees are staying in rented accommodations

Migrant Pandit employees and their families continued to leave Valley in small groups on Friday despite the stepped up security around their transit accommodations across Kashmir.

A Kashmiri Pandit family returns to Jagti migrants camp, amid the recent targeted killings in the Valley, in Jammu on Friday. (ANI)

J&K Police are also keeping close vigil on the localities where pandit employees are staying in rented accommodations.

After the spate of fresh killings in the Valley, hundreds of migrant employees and their families have returned to Jammu.

“Today too, many employees and their families left from Mattan,” said Ranjan Zutshi, a migrant employee.

He claimed the government didn’t provide any security escort till Banihal tunnel as requested and many people left in their private vehicles and motorcycles. “There were more than 250 families of migrant employees living in transit and rented accommodations. Over 100 families have already left this place due to sense of insecurity,” he added.

Sunil, another migrant employee, said they left the Valley on Friday morning in a private vehicle. “The atmosphere is very scary, so I, along with my friends, decided to leave Kashmir. We will only return once situation improves in the Valley and there will be no attacks,” he added.

Sandeep Kumar, who is living at Sheikhpora transit camp, said half of the families have left Kashmir. “Our only demand is relocation from the Valley,” he said.

Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti president Sanjay Tickoo, meanwhile, submitted a representation to the chief justice of the HC, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, seeking investigation into the fresh killings in Kashmir.

“We are waiting for the response as the issue is of grave importance and concern. We believe that the chief justice will accept our representation and suo motu proceedings will be initiated in the matter for protection of religious minorities in Kashmir valley,” said Tickoo said.

Security around the transit camps has already been beefed up with the army being asked to do night domination operations in the places where migrant employees and non-locals are residing in rented accommodations.

“Vigil around transit camps and places where non-locals are staying has been enhanced for the past couple of days,” a senior police officer said.