KP employees protest enters 11th day

The government employees from the Kashmiri Pandit community, who have refused to return and join their jobs in the Valley after the alleged stone-pelting on their transit camp, held a candle light march as their protest entered the 11th day today.
Accusing the state and the central governments of forsaking Kashmiri Pandits, a large number of members of the community gathered at the Jagti migrant township on the outskirts ofthe city and demanded evacuation of employees who are stuck in the Valley.
"We are a forsaken lot, nobody is ready to listen to our miseries. Our transit camps were targeted, we were threatened with dire consequences and we don't know the fate of our brethren who are stuck in the Valley," a protestor, Prameela Dhar, said, adding, their repeated pleas to evacuate the employees stranded in Kashmir have fallen on deaf ears.

She said the employees had no other option but to leave the Valley after a mob attacked their transit camp at Hall village of south Kashmir.
"After we reached Jammu we came to know that several other camps in Kashmir, including the ones in Vissu, Mattan and
Kupawara were also attacked by stone-pelting mobs," she said.

The agitated community members said if the government fails to address their problems they would soon launch a relay hunger strike.
"We want a peaceful environment to work, we don't want to be sitting ducks and fall victim to the stone-pelting mob. We won't return to Kashmir to join our duties unless we are provided adequate security there," another protestor Sheena Bhat said.

The All Party Migrants Coordination Committee (APMCC), an organisation representing the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, said over 700 Kashmir-based employees from the community have fled to Jammu following the unrest that started after the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.
"A large number of employees from the KP community are still stuck in their transit camps. We have been getting distress messages from them as they are left with nothing to eat but the government seems to be least bothered about them," APMCC National spokesman King Bharti said.