Security Tightened for Kashmiri Pandits After Threat Letter Names Individuals

Srinagar: In response to a purported threat letter from a Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliate, Jammu and Kashmir police have enhanced security around residential areas of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. Some employees have also been allowed to work from home temporarily, officials said on Wednesday.

The letter, allegedly issued by the United Liberation Council, names several community members and includes their phone numbers, according to Panun Kashmir, a group representing displaced Kashmiri Pandits. The group said the letter was circulated on social media on August 7.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, V.K. Birdi, said police are investigating the authenticity and origin of the letter. “We are looking into the matter,” he said, without offering further details.

Divisional Commissioner Anshul Garg confirmed that some Kashmiri Pandit employees have been permitted to work from home as a precautionary measure. However, he clarified that there is no blanket order covering all employees. Education department officials also denied issuing any such directive for all Pandit staff.

Panun Kashmir’s convenor, Agnishekar, called the letter a serious escalation. “It goes beyond generic threats and appears to identify specific individuals as potential targets, while claiming access to information about their families, locations, and workplaces,” he said. He urged authorities to investigate the source of the information, the digital trail behind the communication, and whether surveillance or reconnaissance of the targeted persons had taken place.

Agnishekar emphasised that the threat must not be dismissed as mere rhetoric. “The publication of names and personal contact details, accompanied by explicit threats to pursue the individuals and their families, has the unmistakable potential to intimidate the targeted individuals and terrorise the wider Kashmiri Pandit community,” he said.

The threat comes against the backdrop of the community’s history of targeted killings, intimidation, and forced displacement from the Valley. Panun Kashmir, based in Jammu, has long demanded a separate homeland for Kashmiri Pandits within the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarsh Samiti (KPSS), which represents community members who remained in the Valley after the 1990s migration, described the new threat as a conspiracy to sabotage their existence. “Recent terror attacks in south Kashmir, followed by fresh threat posters naming Kashmiri Pandit employees, have once again exposed the chilling sense of vulnerability,” the group said.

The development also revives memories of the 2008 rehabilitation package announced by the then Congress-led UPA government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The package was designed for Pandits who were forced to leave the Valley during the insurgency of the 1990s. Among other measures, it provided 6,000 government jobs and created new posts. Those employed under the package are posted across various departments in Kashmir and are commonly referred to as “PM package employees”.

Authorities have urged calm and assured the community that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure their safety. Further details on the investigation are awaited.