Chronological List of Documented Cases Against Kashmiri Pandits

1. Tika Lal Taploo (September 14, 1989 – Srinagar)

  • Profile: Advocate and senior BJP leader in J&K.
  • Incident: Shot dead outside his home in Habba Kadal by militants.
  • Significance: Considered the first high-profile targeted killing of a Kashmiri Pandit leader during the insurgency.
  • Impact: Marked the beginning of the exodus, sending shockwaves through the Pandit community.

2. Neelkanth Ganjoo (November 4, 1989 – Srinagar)

  • Profile: Retired Sessions Judge who had sentenced Maqbool Bhat to death in the 1960s.
  • Incident: Gunned down near the High Court.
  • Documentation: Cited in multiple human rights reports as an example of revenge killings by militants.

3. Girija Tickoo Case (June 1990 – Sopore)

  • Profile: Lab assistant at a government school.
  • Incident: Kidnapped, gang-raped, and brutally murdered using a mechanical saw.
  • Impact: Considered one of the most gruesome crimes against Pandit women; symbol of the gendered violence during the insurgency.

4. Lassa Kaul (February 13, 1990 – Srinagar)

  • Profile: Director, Doordarshan Srinagar.
  • Incident: Shot outside his residence; accused militants opposed government-controlled media.
  • Impact: Led to the near-collapse of Srinagar Doordarshan operations.

5. Dr. Kashi Nath Pandita Threat List (1990)

  • Profile: Renowned academic and linguist.
  • Incident: Name appeared on a public hit-list pasted on mosques and street corners.
  • Significance: Shows the climate of fear — many Pandits fled after such public threats.

6. Sarwanand Koul Premi (April 1990 – Anantnag)

  • Profile: Poet, freedom fighter, and educationist.
  • Incident: Abducted with his son, tortured, and killed; his eyes were gouged out, bones broken.
  • Impact: Brutality symbolized the militant warning to outspoken intellectuals.

7. Pandit Family Murders, Gawkadal Massacre Context (1990)

  • While Gawkadal is often remembered for killings of Muslim protesters by security forces, many Pandit families in the same period faced targeted night-time raids, forced conversions, and property seizures.

8. H.N. Wanchoo (December 1992 – Srinagar)

  • Profile: Human rights activist and trade union leader.
  • Incident: Assassinated after documenting disappearances; suspected involvement of multiple actors, making it a complex case.
  • Relevance to Pandit experience: Even secular, pro-people Pandits were targeted.

9. Sangrampora Massacre (March 21, 1997 – Budgam)

  • Incident: Seven Pandit villagers lined up and shot dead by militants.
  • Survivors: Only a few elderly managed to escape; houses looted afterward.
  • Documentation: Recorded in Amnesty International reports.

10. Wandhama Massacre (January 25, 1998 – Ganderbal)

  • Incident: 23 Kashmiri Pandits, including women and children, killed on the eve of Republic Day.
  • Method: Victims shot at point-blank range after being forced out of homes.
  • Impact: Led to near-complete depopulation of Pandits from the area.

11. Chapnari Massacre (June 19, 1998 – Doda)

  • Incident: 25 Hindus, mostly Pandits and some Dogras, killed.
  • Context: Part of militant strategy to clear minority populations from hilly regions.

12. Nadimarg Massacre (March 23, 2003 – Pulwama)

  • Incident: 24 Kashmiri Pandits, including infants, lined up and shot by militants dressed as security forces.
  • Impact: The last major mass killing of Pandits in the Valley; survivors were evacuated out permanently.

13. Wandhama Survivors’ Targeting (Post-1998)

  • Several survivors later faced continuous threats, with properties seized and farmlands encroached.

14. Individual Assassinations in 2000s

  • Cases: Teachers, government employees, and migrant-returnees in Pulwama, Shopian, and Anantnag targeted to discourage rehabilitation of Pandits.

15. Rahul Pandita’s Documented Incidents

  • In his memoir Our Moon Has Blood Clots, he details personal family losses and dozens of named killings, confirming patterns of threats, rapes, and assassinations.

Patterns Observed

  1. Public Threat Lists: In 1989–1990, local mosques broadcast names of Pandits to be killed or expelled.
  2. Gendered Violence: Women like Girija Tickoo and Sarla Bhat faced targeted sexual violence as a form of intimidation.
  3. Selective Targeting of Influencers: Teachers, doctors, media heads, poets — to destroy leadership and morale.
  4. Massacres Before Symbolic Dates: Many killings timed around Republic Day, Independence Day, or religious festivals.
  5. Property Seizure: After killings or threats, abandoned homes were often looted or occupied.
  6. Disguised Militants: Cases like Nadimarg show militants wearing army uniforms to gain entry.

Sarla Bhat Case in Context

The murder of Sarla Bhat, a nurse abducted and killed in 1990, fits into the pattern of:

  • Targeting professional Pandit women.
  • Combining sexual violence with execution.
  • Sending a public warning to other Pandit families.

Her case is often compared to Girija Tickoo’s due to the brutality and deliberate public messaging.

Documentation Sources

  • Amnesty International & Human Rights Watch Reports (1990s–2000s)
  • Rahul Pandita – Our Moon Has Blood Clots
  • Government of India white papers on Kashmir migration
  • Testimonies before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by displaced Pandits
  • Indian media archives (The Hindu, Indian Express, India Today, Rediff, Frontline)

This documented list captures 15+ major cases and patterns of violence against Kashmiri Pandits, contextualizing the Sarla Bhat case as part of a larger campaign that spanned over a decade and continues to affect return efforts even today.

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