14th March should be recognized as martyrs’ day in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir
13/03/2025
By Sanjay K. Tickoo
The tragic history of the Kashmiri Pandits is a wound that has refused to heal, a deep scar on the conscience of the nation. Even decades after the cataclysmic events of 1990, justice remains elusive, and the voices of the exiled continue to echo in the void of political apathy. Among the many blood-stained pages of this history, one date stands out as the first cry of an impending genocide—14.03.1989. On this day, Smt. Prabhawati became the first recorded victim of the targeted violence against Kashmiri Pandits, an ominous precursor to one of the largest forced exoduses in human history. The Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti on behalf of the Community now demands that this date be officially recognized and declared as Martyrs’ Day in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir to honor those who were slain and to ensure that their suffering is never erased from history. Beyond the undeniable truth of their violent exodus, a significant section of the majority community remains in willful denial, refusing to acknowledge the horrors inflicted upon the Kashmiri Pandits. Worse still, they have embarked on a sinister mission to rewrite history, distorting facts and fabricating false narratives to absolve themselves of guilt. Through deceitful propaganda and calculated misinformation, they seek to bury the truth beneath a web of lies, ensuring that history itself falls victim to its own erasure. This insidious manipulation is not just an insult to the victims—it is a second, more insidious form of persecution.
On that fateful day, Smt. Prabhawati was grievously injured in a grenade explosion at Hari Singh High Street in Srinagar. While others wounded in the incident received immediate medical attention, she was left to battle excruciating pain, abandoned by a system poisoned by hate. At SMHS Hospital, doctors and medical staff—many influenced by the anti-India and anti-Kashmiri Pandit rhetoric that had begun to take root—refused her the care she so desperately needed. She succumbed to her injuries, not just due to the wounds inflicted by the blast but because of the deliberate medical neglect, a barbaric act that signaled the beginning of a systematic ethnic cleansing.
What followed in 1990 was an unparalleled human tragedy—an unrelenting massacre of Kashmiri Pandits, a bloodbath that history has tried to overlook, and a silence that screams louder than words. It is a documented fact that, out of more than 950 killings, 467 Kashmiri Pandits fell to brutal killings that year alone, with nearly 258 of them murdered within the span of just two months—May and June. These numbers are not just statistics; they are the names, the faces, the dreams, and the shattered futures of an entire community that was marked for extermination. Their homes were reduced to ashes, their temples desecrated, their heritage erased, and their voices drowned in the chilling silence of exile.
But the horror did not end in 1990. The Kashmiri Pandits have continued to suffer in exile, their displacement becoming a perpetual reality, their existence reduced to mere footnotes in political debates. Generations have been born without ever setting foot in their ancestral land. The cultural heritage of Kashmiri Pandits, once an integral part of the valley’s soul, has been systematically erased. The loss is not just of lives, but of an entire civilization that was uprooted overnight, leaving behind nothing but memories soaked in blood and tears.
The demand to declare “14th March” as Martyrs' Day is not just about remembrance—it is about reclaiming history. It is about acknowledging an injustice that has remained unaddressed for far too long. By honoring this day, we ensure that the horrors of the past are neither forgotten nor repeated. The official recognition of this date as Martyrs’ Day would serve as a testament to the resilience of the Kashmiri Pandit community, a community that has carried its pain with dignity, refusing to let the truth be buried under political expediency.
On behalf of the Kashmiri Pandit community, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangarash Samiti makes a fervent appeal to both the Jammu and Kashmir government and the central government to bestow upon “14th March” the solemn recognition it deserves. Let this date stand as a symbol of the struggle for justice, an unyielding reminder of the persecution that befell an innocent people, and a national commitment that such horrors must never be allowed to repeat themselves.
The wounds of insurgency remain fresh, and the struggle for justice endures. By commemorating this day, India can take a step toward healing, toward truth, and toward ensuring that the sacrifices of the Kashmiri Pandits are honored in the annals of history. Let “14th March” be a day not just of mourning, but of resolve—a resolve to remember, to acknowledge, and to ensure that justice, though delayed, is never denied.
(Sanjay K. Tickoo is a President of KPSS. He can reach at 9906564741)
Disclaimer: The views, observations and opinions expressed in above write up of KIP News are strictly author’s own.Kashmir Independent Press (kipnews.in) News does not take any onus or liability for the veracity, accuracy, validity, completeness, suitability of any of information in the above given write up. The information, facts or figures appearing in the write up in no way manifest the position, standpoint or stance of Kashmir Independent Press (kipnews.in) and the kipnews.in does not assume any encumbrance or answerability of the same. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent Courts and Forums in Jammu City Only)
Editor
Kashmir Independent Press(kipnews.in)