A fire that erupted from an abandoned Pandit house, engulfing five ancient homes of the Kashmiri Pandit community in the Lone Mohalla of Mattan in South Kashmir’s Anantnag around 1 am on Sunday midnight. The local majority community promptly alerted the fire brigade, and by 1:45 pm, five fire brigade vehicles had arrived at the scene. After hours of effort, the fire was finally extinguished. The wooden structure of the house meant that smoldering and smoke persisted even two days later. Approximately five buildings were reduced to ashes, with one completely destroyed.
Nissar Ahmed, a Fire Brigade Officer, recounted the incident: “A dreadful fire erupted in the night. We received the call and responded immediately. Five vehicles were dispatched, and the fire was brought under control within three to four hours.”
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have initiated an investigation into the fire’s origin. Kashmiri Pandits residing outside the region suspect the fire was deliberately set to deter the community from returning to the Valley. The National Conference political party has expressed solidarity with the Kashmiri Pandits of Mattan, Anantnag, following the devastating fire that razed several homes. They highlighted the sentimental value of one of the homes, which belonged to the maternal family of their additional spokesperson, Umesh Tashi, and urged for a prompt and comprehensive investigation to identify and penalize those responsible.
Ravindra Pandita, Chairman of the Kashmir Sharada Peeth Awasthapan, said, “The recent fire incident in the properties of Kashmiri migrants in Mattan area of Kashmir has shocked everyone. The Deputy Commissioner of the district is the custodian of minority properties and is not taking proper steps to preserve minority properties and four houses of Kashmiri Pandit migrants have been burnt to ashes. We request the government to take steps to protect these sites.
“No one lived there, so there was no possibility of short circuit or gas cylinder explosion etc. This is clearly a case of vandalism, and we need to take preventive measures. The administration should be prepared so that the displaced community does not have to witness such acts again and these owners should be compensated.” And we expect that all properties will be protected,” he added.
Several Kashmiri Pandit community members warned the government that terrorism is still not over in the Kashmir Valley, but even these incidents will not scare them. They said they will continue to live in their motherland with Muslim brothers.
Ashok Kumar, president of All Temples and Shrines South Kashmir, said, “We will not be intimidated, and we are not afraid of it. We have been getting these threats since the 90s, but we will not be afraid. This is our Janmabhoomi and we will always stay here. We are renovating our places and temples, and everyone wants to come back, and we will not be afraid of these acts. The government should ensure the safety of the property and lives of Kashmiri Pandits. These incidents send a wrong message, but it should not affect the return of Kashmiri Pandits to the Valley. I am happy with the administration and police the way they are handling this incident. Those responsible should be punished.“
Jammu and Kashmir Police has started investigating the case. FSL teams have taken samples, and an FIR has been registered under Section 326BNS. Police have also collected CCTV footage of the area for investigation.
Javed Iqbal, DIG South Kashmir Range. He said, “There has been a report of fire in the house of Shri Anand Ji Rajdan in Mattan area of Anantnag. On receiving the information, SHO Mattan reached the spot with police party and fire brigade was called. The fire was brought under control in about one and a half hours. Nearby houses have also been damaged due to the fire. Police called the FSL team and took CCTV footage of the area and registered a case under section 326bns. Investigation has started and I want to assure you that we have started a deep investigation, and a senior officer is supervising the investigation”
People of the Pandit community living outside the valley and in the valley are demanding a thorough investigation of the incident and are also demanding the LG government to take steps for strict security of such deserted Pandit properties and temples so that the intentions of those elements who do not want the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits fail.
