Employees say they will begin a hunger strike on October 1 if ready accommodation is not handed over by September 30, arguing that their lives and families’ safety are at stake. A fresh threat letter targeting Kashmiri Pandit employees in Kashmir has triggered new security concerns, with workers under the Prime Minister’s employment package demanding immediate allotment of secure government housing.
Because our lives are at stake right now; we need government quarters at this moment a safer location,” he said. “On the 1st and this is the truth we won’t stage a standard protest; we will hold a silent protest a hunger strike.
The employees repeated their demand for secure accommodation and said they could no longer continue living with uncertainty over their safety. Amit, a Kashmiri Pandit employee, said repeated threats had changed how employees and their families viewed daily life in Kashmir. The letter also warns that unless an apology is made to the people of Kashmir, even the Ministry of Home Affairs will be unable to protect the employees. Authorities have not publicly established the truth of the allegations made in the letter. Following the threat, employees and administration officials held a meeting at a Pandit transit camp. We will go on a hunger strike.
The Prime Minister’s employment package was introduced in 2008, with jobs and secure accommodation forming part of efforts connected to the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits. 19 locations were identified for transit accommodation, but only four are occupied at present, according to the employees. There are 39 blocks here, and almost all of them are complete; perhaps only the installation of lifts in 13 buildings remains pending. A ‘fear psychosis’ certainly exists it hasn’t just started; it has persisted since 1990, and we are still living with it,” he said.
The government could easily shift us here, yet for reasons unknown, they are not providing the accommodation. We went to Press Colony to voice this plea, only to receive threats; we simply don’t know how to escape this situation. Employees say the latest message is the fifth such letter in the past two months. They also warned employees of fatal consequences if they continued working in government jobs under the Prime Minister’s Employment and Rehabilitation Package.
Earlier letters allegedly contained personal information including names, phone numbers, home addresses in Jammu and vehicle registration numbers. Another Kashmiri Pandit employee said, “We want to convey to the government just as we did during our visit to the Press Club yesterday that we urgently need possession of the safe accommodation promised to us.
