Kashmiri Pandits protest in Jammu

Kashmiri Pandits gathered outside the Governor's House in Jammu on Friday to protest against on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of the exodus of their community from the Kashmir Valley.

Protestors chanted slogans for the peaceful return of Kashmiri Pandits.

"We urge the Jammu and Kashmir Government and the Centre to address the issue of exodus and migration. There should be a CBI probe on the encroachment of Hindu temples in the valley," Vinod Pandit, a representative of the community, told ANI.

Protestors also demanded the opening of the route pilgrimage to the ancient Sharda Temple in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

BJP members of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council have demanded the setting up of a Truth commission to investigate the killings of Kashmiri Pandits and the circumstances that led to their forced exodus from valley.

The ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits was an event that occurred on January 19, 1990, when most of the pandit families were forced to flee from Kashmir Valley due to violence and spread of terrorism.

About one to eight lakh pandits have fled from Kashmir since 1990 it is estimated.