Violence against Hindus in Indian Kashmir in 1986
The
1986 Kashmir Riots
, also commonly referred to as the
1986 Anantnag Riots
, were a series of attacks targeting
Kashmiri Hindus
in the
Kashmir Valley
of the erstwhile
Indian state
of
Jammu and Kashmir
, particularly in
Anantnag district
.
[4]
Background
[
edit
]
The JK Land Estates Abolition Act of 1950 allowed the govt to unilaterally confiscate private land owned by landlords, which adversely affected thousands of Kashmiri Hindus overnight. This also led to some Kashmiri Hindus leaving the state.
[4]
In 1982,
Sheikh Abdullah
died, with his son
Farooq Abdullah
taking over soon after. Despite winning the 1983 election, Farooq was replaced by
Ghulam Mohammad Shah
, also known as Gul Shah. In Anantnag
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
, who later founded the PDP, was the elected representative at the time.
[5]
In early 1986,
Gul Shah
announced the construction of a masjid inside the location of an ancient Hindu Temple in the Jammu Civil Secretariat. This move sparked widespread criticism and protests in Jammu. In February, Gul Shah then went to Kashmir and provocatively said,
"Islam khatre mein hain"
(Translation: "
Islam
is in danger"). Subsequently, Muslim rioters attacked Hindu-owned businesses and places of worship.
[4]
The resulting death toll was 2000 people, consisting primarily of Hindus.
[6]
Rioting
[
edit
]
After the Indian government allowed the
Babri Masjid
(the location of the present
Ram Mandir
, the temple believed to be the birthplace of the deity
Rama
) to be opened for Hindu worship, protests erupted. 8 cities in
Jammu and Kashmir
had curfews in place.
[7]
Hindu temples were burned down and destroyed in towns including Vanpoh,
Anantnag
,
Sopore
,
Luk Bawan
, Salar (Pahalgam Tehsil), Fatehpur, and
Akura
.
[4]
[2]
[3]
Anantnag, which saw much of the violence, had multiple attacks on
Hindu temples
. Many Kashmiri Hindu-owned shops, homes and properties were attacked and targeted.
[5]
These developments led to a large number of
Kashmiri Hindus
shifting to places including
Udhampur
and
Jammu
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Koul, Bill K. (10 September 2020).
The Exiled Pandits of Kashmir Will They Ever Return Home?
. Springer Singapore. p. 214.
ISBN
9789811565373
.
- ^
a
b
Tikoo, Colonel Tej K (2013).
Kashmir: Its Aborigines and Their Exodus
. Lancer Publishers LLC. pp. 397?.
ISBN
978-1-935501-58-9
.
- ^
a
b
Aiyar, Mani Shankar
(2006),
Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist
, Penguin Books India, pp. 148?,
ISBN
978-0-14-306205-9
- ^
a
b
c
d
Pandit, Bansi (2008).
Explore Kashmiri Pandits
. Dharma Publications. p. 48-49.
ISBN
9780963479860
.
- ^
a
b
"Explained: The Kashmir Pandit tragedy"
.
The Indian Express
. 24 January 2020.
Archived
from the original on 7 March 2022
. Retrieved
8 March
2022
.
- ^
Verma, P. S. (1994).
Jammu and Kashmir at the Political Crossroads
. Vikas Publishing House. p. 214.
ISBN
9780706976205
.
- ^
"Hindu-Moslem riots reported in Kashmir, Calcutta"
.
AP News
. 22 February 1986.
Archived
from the original on 6 October 2020
. Retrieved
7 March
2022
.