Five Kashmiri pandit houses gutted in Anantnag, community members allege sabotage; police start investigation

Five Houses belonging to the Kashmiri Pandit Community in South Kashmir's Anantnag district were completely gutted in a fire incident. The fire broke during the night hours in the Mattan area of Anantnag, destroying the old houses of the Kashmiri Pandit community. The Jammu and Kashmir Police have registered a case and started investigating the cause of the fire.

The members of the Kashmiri Pandit community living outside Kashmir allege that the fire was caused to threaten the Kashmiri Pandit Community and dissuade them from coming back to the Valley.

The National Conference Party leaders said that they stand united with Kashmiri Pandit brethren in Mattan, Anantnag, following the tragic fire that destroyed several houses. They also said that one of the affected houses holds deep sentimental value as it was the maternal home of our Additional Spokesperson, Umesh Talashi. They further added that this loss of property is deeply emotional and significant, and they call on the authorities to conduct a swift and thorough investigation to bring the culprits to justice.

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''The recent fire incident of Kashmiri Migrant Properties in Mattan area of Kashmir, raises an eyebrow. The Deputy commissioner of the district is the custodian of the minority properties and is not taking the proper steps to preserve the minority properties and four houses have been gutted of Kashmiri Pandit Migrants. We request the government to take steps for the protection of these sites. No one was living there so there was no possibility of short circuit or gas cylinder blast, etc. It is a clear case of sabotage, and we need to take preventive measures. The administration should gear up so that the exiled community does not see such acts again and these owners should be compensated. And we hope all properties should be protected,'' said Ravindra Pandita, President, Kashmir Shardapeeth Asthapan.

Multiple Kashmiri Pandit community members warned the government that terrorism is still not finished in the Kashmir Valley, but added that these incidents will also not intimidate them. They said that they would continue to live in their homeland alongside the Muslim brothers.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have started an investigation into the case. The FSL teams have taken the samples, and an FIR has been registered under section 326. The police have also taken CCTV footage of the area for investigation.

''A fire incident at a Kashmiri Pandit's house in Mattan Area of Anantnag, which belongs to Shri Anand Ji Razdan, was reported. The moment we received the report, the SHO Mattan along with the Police Party reached the spot and the fire brigade was brought in. In around one and half hours, the fire was doused. The adjacent houses were also damaged due to the fire. Police brought the FSL teams and also took the CCTV footage of the area.A case has been registered under section 326. The investigation has started and I want to assure that we have started a robust investigation, and a senior officer is conducting it,'' said Javed Iqbal, DIG South Kashmir Range.

Not only the Pandit community organisations but also the political leadership of Jammu and Kashmir called for a thorough investigation into the fire incident.