Demand ‘Right to Vote’
‘Roots in Kashmir’, a global youth initiative of the Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) on Sunday in New Delhi protested against the discrimination faced by them at the hands of the Indian government and authorities concerned.
Along with Roots in Kashmir, members of Panun Kashmir (PK), All India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS), Kashmiri Sewak Samaj (KSS), Secular Youth Front (SYF) and Internally Displaced Kashmiri Pandit Youth Front (IDKPYF) also led the protesters.
Hundreds of protesters from all age groups were seen participating in the silent sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar wearing black cloth on their mouth. Protesters demanded that voting procedure for the migrants be simplified to ensure their 100% participation in the democratic process, dispensing of M-Forms and issuance of Election Photo Identity Cards alleged that despite the assurance of Chief Election Commissioner, nothing substantial emerged over one month. “We fail to understand why this M-form (migration form) system is there when photo identity cards could be made for the exiled Pandit voters. The M-form system should be deleted from the process in order to ease the lengthy enrolment and voting process.” the group release said. “We are not migrants but refugees in our own country; we are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) under United Nations guidelines” it said further.
To escape persecution, more than 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits had to leave their homes and hearths back in the valley. Even after 19 years of mass exodus, more than 50,000 of these Kashmiri Pandit refugees are living in ‘animal like state’ in uninhabitable refugee camps.
The number of electoral members of the Pandit community has dropped considerably from the voter list (electoral rolls) of the J&K State in the last two decades. While the year 1996 saw 1.47 lac of them in 2002 it went down to 1.17 lac and further down to 0.71 lac last year during the assembly polls in the state. “At a time when registering as a voter is a mere mouse click away, the Election Commission in connivance with the State is making the most tedious processes for us so as to ensure that we don’t even get a basic human right.” said an angry Ranish Hangloo, a youth activist with the group.
While separatists get to election fray the Pandits are once again marginalized. With polling facilities in only two cities in India the State ensures that over a lac Pandits living in towns other than Delhi and Jammu don’t get to vote. While others get a day off to vote, we are expected to take an off and fly to Delhi or Jammu to vote. “It is but a part of the larger process to erase us not just from geographical horizon of Kashmir but from mind-spaces, voter lists, ration cards so that one day we can no longer claim to be Kashmiris. On one hand peaceful protestors are beaten in Jammu while separatists are having an electoral field day. The nation votes and we wonder about our Voter ID cards. Elections for them, Exile for us!” said Mr. Sanjay Peshin, Chief Coordinator of Roots in Kashmir.
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