KPs Take Out Protest March In Srinagar
Srinagar- As Kashmiri Pandit employees continue to stage demonstrations seeking relocation from the Valley, the department of education on Saturday shifted at least 56 KP teaches from vulnerable parts of this capital city to the safer zones.
“In the interest of administration, the transfer and adjustment of teachers (PM’s Package) figuring in the list forming Annexure to this order is ordered with immediate effect,” reads an order issued by the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Srinagar.
It further stated that the teachers shall draw salary at their new place of posting on the post held by them which is shifted from present place to the place where adjusted by virtue of this order.
“Before implementing the order, it shall be strictly ensured that the transferees are holding genuine appointment on Substantive basis in school Education Department and do not belong to Fake/Fraud/Long-Leave/or any other category which may be an impediment in implementation of the order,” it added.
The transfer of the teachers appointed under the Prime Minister’s Special Package comes ten days after a KP employee Rahul Bhat was shot dead by unknown militants inside his office in Chadoora area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district on May 12.
Bhat’s killing set off protests by KP employees seeking relocation outside the Valley. Due to mounting pressure, the government announced to post the employees in towns and district headquarters for their safety.
KPs Take Out Protest March In Srinagar
Earlier in the day chanting ‘Om’ at the historic Lal Chowk’s clock tower, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits, carrying placards asking “aakhir kabtak”, staged a protest demanding their relocation outside Kashmir.
Marching from the Lal Mandi area of the civil lines, 200 to 300 protestors from the community staged a sit-in and raised slogans against the Jammu and Kashmir administration for “turning a deaf ear” to their demands.
Bhat (35), who had got the job of a clerk under the special employment package for migrants in 2012-11, according to police was shot dead by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants at his office in the Chadoora area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district on May 12.
According to Kashmiri Pandit rituals, the 10th day signifies the end of the mourning period.
The protestors, men and women, carried placards asking “Aakhir Kab Tak?” (till when) and demanding “relocation/ deputation of all Valley-posted migrant employees to any other place in India to stop our bloodshed”.
Raising slogans against the administration, the Pandit employees said their protest would continue till this “deaf administration” listens.
Before leaving the Lal Chowk area, the protesters en mass chanted “Om” and then marched to the BJP’s state office in the Jawahar Nagar area of the city where they raised slogans against the party.
The protestors dispersed peacefully afterwards.
In the Mattan area of South Kashmir, similar processions were held against the union territory administration.
Braving unseasonal rainfall, the Kashmiri pandit employees marched towards the famous Martand temple where some of the youths tonsured their heads as per ritual followed on the 10th day after death.
They raised slogans like “Rahul Bhai amar rahe” and demanded their relocation to safer places.
Protests have been held at several places in Jammu and Kashmir over the killing of Bhat as well as the “failure” of the administration in providing security to Kashmiri Pandit employees.
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