Plea in SC seeks SIT to identify perpetrators of ‘genocide’ of Hindus, Sikhs in J&K

A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking constitution of a Special Investigation Team to identify the perpetrators involved in the alleged genocide of Hindus and Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir during 1989-2003.

The petition, filed by NGO ‘We the Citizens’, has also sought directions to conduct a census of Hindus and Sikhs, who have been victims or survivors of “genocide” in Jammu and Kashmir and are now residing in different parts of India and also their rehabilitation.

“The petitioner has undertaken research by going through books, articles, and memoirs of migrants from Kashmir. The prominent books which the petitioner has examined include ‘My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir’ authored by Jagmohan and ‘Our Moon Has Blood Clots’ by Rahul Pandita. These two books give first hand account of ghastly genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus and Sikhs in the year 1990,” the plea submitted.

“The failure of the then government and police administration and finally complete breakdown of constitutional machinery have been explained in those books. The then government and state machinery did not act at all to protect the life and limb of Hindus and Sikhs and allowed anti-nationals and terrorists, anti-social elements to take control of whole of Kashmir. As a result the Hindu and Sikhs citizens lost faith in the government and were forced to migrate to other parts of India,” the plea filed through advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, said.

The PIL has also sought directions to declare that all sale of properties post exodus in the year January 1990 whether religious, residential, agricultural, commercial, institutional, educational or any other immovable property be declared as null and void.