'Why Are Kashmiri Pandits Still Not Safe?': Kejriwal on Rahul Bhat's Death

"This is not the time to do politics, it's time to give security to Kashmiri Pandits," the Delhi CM said.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

(Photo: Screenshot/Twitter)

As Jammu and Kashmir witnesses mass protests over the killing of Rahul Bhat, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday, 16 May, appealed for the safety of Kashmiri pandits in the valley.

"Few days back, a Kashmiri Pandit was killed in his office. It seems the assailants had carried out the attack in a targeted manner. The country is worried. Why are Kashmiri Pandits still not safe in the valley? A lot of Kashmiri Pandit-youth had been sent under a PM package.... After this incident, all of them are scared," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said in a video statement.

Condemning the use of force to quell impassioned protests in the state, Kejriwal added, "When the Kashmiri Pandits protested to express anger, they were tear-gassed, lathi-charged and locked in their homes. This is wrong."

He called for the immediate dismissal for all police officials using these methods, and added, "This is not the time to do politics, it's time to give security to Kashmiri Pandits."

Rahul Bhat's Killing Spark Protests Across the Valley

Massive protests by Kashmiri Pandits had erupted in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night, after a government employee identified as Rahul Bhat was shot dead inside his office by militants in the Chadoora area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

The police resorted to firing tear gas shells and using batons when a group of protesters attempted to proceed towards the Srinagar Airport.

A police official told that the gunmen fired upon the migrant employee in the local Tehsil office, at Chadoora on Thursday afternoon. Bhat was immediately shifted to Sub District Hospital, wherefrom he was shifted to SMHS hospital for specialised treatment.

The protestors, including government officers and their families, camped at the migrant colony at Vesu-Qazigund in the Anantnag district and demanded that the Lieutenant Governor's administration ensure that Kashmiri Pandits are safe in the Valley.