Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Thanking the J&K and Ladakh High Court for a landmark directive to restore encroached temple lands, marking a potential turning point in protecting minority religious sites, Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti (KPSS) in a statement said more than three decades on, Kashmiri Pandit temples remain at risk from a mafia supported by parts of the Majority Community, including top lawyers and officials.
“Since 2007, KPSS has fought legally to safeguard these temples from attacks by those aiming to erase the Kashmiri Pandit identity. They argue that a radicalized mindset, supported by some in the Majority Community and driven by cross-border agendas, is behind this.”
The government must address this issue, as those responsible for the mass migration and killings of minorities in Kashmir continue to operate with impunity. Despite numerous court directives, enforcement has been lacking, questioning the integrity of some civil servants, the statement reads.
KPSS requests the High Court to form a committee to ensure the implementation of its orders, to protect the religious heritage of Kashmiri Pandits, and to restore temple properties taken since 1989.
Pertinently, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on Thursday ordered the Union Territory’s (UT) administration to protect Hindu religious sites left unattended after the community’s departure from the Kashmir valley in the 1990s, to help preserve their cultural heritage.
Hearing a batch of petitions by several groups of Kashmiri pandits, a division bench of the High Court stressed that it is the state’s responsibility to safeguard these historical sites.
