This is a bitter reality of ethnic cleansing of the Hindus from Jammu and Kashmir. Eleven-year old Sanju is a witness to brutal killing of his father, grandparents and uncle by a group of terrorists in 1999. He has seen all with his naked eyes as a three-year old boy.
And though he does not remember anything today, his mother Rano Devi narrates how he goes hysterical and violent whenever he sees blood. It all begun in 1999 in remote village Khodbani of border district of Rajouri. Sanju was at his native village when a group of terrorists came to the house, asked the family for food and inspite of giving thanks they opened their guns at the family and killed all of them on the spot. Little Sanju hid under the pile of bedding. They were the only Hindus in the village.
?I was away at my parent'shouse with younger son Ravi. And when I went to my in-laws house, two kilometer away, I saw my son sitting in pool of blood asking his father and grandparents to get up. Hell had broken loose,? said the sobbing Rano.
So much was the terror of the terrorists that the four dead were not even given a proper Hindu funeral. Their pyres were lit in the courtyard of the house.
?None were ready to take the bodies down close to Chenab waters and provide a religious bath and lit the pyres there due to terrorists? terror,? said Rano.
Two weeks later, there was another massive killing of Hindus in adjoining village and there began the mass migration of the Hindus to safer areas. And Rano moved with her two children along with her mother to Talwara migrant camp that houses hundreds of Hindus migrated from Doda, Rajouri and Udhampur areas due to the terror of the terrorists.
?We left because, they had pasted warnings that Hindus should leave. If they want to live they should accept Islam as their religion. The other reason was that the Hindus were not with them and they were afraid that Hindus would inform about their movements to security agencies,? added Rano.
When one asks Sanju about the incident, he says, ?I remember nothing. But mother has told me everything.?
Sanju is a class sixth student and wants to join army to revenge the killing of his family. And if one mentions ?blood? before him, he goes uneasy. Rano Devi is also the victim of official apathy of Congress-led state and Centre governments. There are over 600 Hindu families living at this migrant camp without any government help or assistance. They had recently held demonstrations in Jammu seeking equal rights as per the migrants from Kashmir region but the State government has done nothing except for the announcement of few kilos of rice and kerosene oil for the victims. Except a few, the majority however have not received this announced aid also.
Rano works as a domestic maid and earns Rs 30-35 daily to feed her mother and children. If due to ill-health she fails to go at work, the family has to do without food.
There are many families in this camp, who, due to government apathy, had to starve many days. The governments at the Centre as well as in J&K are not bothered over the plight and sufferings of the migrants. Every migrant of the Valley is anxiously waiting for the day to live in their hearths peacefully.
And as one talks to Rano, dozens others come to narrate their sordid saga in a hope that a succour would be provided to them. Most of them have been forced to flee their native places by terrorists since 1998-99.
Comments