Some silent but meaningful changes seem to be underway in Union Territory (UT) of J&K. These changes have been happening with a regular rhythm and picked up pace after Manoj Sinha took over as Lieutenant Governor of the UT four years ago in August 2020. He had taken over the reins of administration at a time when things were on the boil still, post the abrogation of Article 35-A which took the life out of Article 370.
By his deft handling of the situation prevailing then, Sinha was able to establish a very firm grip on J&K. Unstinted support from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi helped as enjoying carte blanche from them is the source of Sinha’s confidence. Undoubtedly, he can be considered a veteran leader who understands the finer nuances of politics in J&K. He has put this understanding to good use by building relationships across parties, in academia and among top businessmen.
An interesting change that has happened now is the appointment of Akshay Labroo, a Kashmiri Pandit (KP), as Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Srinagar district. The DCs function as District Development Commissioners in the set-up that prevails in J&K. In terms of responsibilities for maintaining law and order, the DCs have the powers of the District Magistrate (DM). An IAS officer of 2018 batch, Labroo was DC of neighbouring Budgam district before his present assignment.
He is the first person from the minority KP community to be given this charge. An officer of the Tripura cadre, Labroo had earlier served as Director Information and Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) in Srinagar. The appointment is being considered a significant step forward by the members of the miniscule KP community. It may be mentioned here that lakhs of KPs were forced to leave their homes and hearths in the 1990s by Islamist zealots.
No KP has ever held this prestigious post though at one time, KK Sidha, another KP, has served as Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Srinagar. Sidha is currently the Director of Archives, Archaeology, and Museums headquartered these days in Srinagar.
Labroo’s appointment has happened at a time when the state administration is headed by another KP IAS officer Atal Dulloo who is Chief Secretary.
Labroo used to work in the Defence Ministry when he wrote his examination for one of the most prestigious examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). He cleared it in his first attempt and has not looked back since then. Before graduating in Political Science from Ramjas College, Delhi University, Labroo was a student at Delhi Public School, Jammu.
In February 2021, following directions from Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT), the Tripura Governor had issued orders for Labroo’s transfer to J&K. At that time, he was holding the charge of Additional Municipal Commissioner of Agartala Municipal Corporation. His initial inter-cadre transfer was for a period of three years. Incidentally, DOPT is headed by Dr Jitendra Singh, a Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), who is presently third time MP from Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency.
Of course, there are many challenges before Labroo, and the first of them could be to establish his authority in no uncertain terms. Those who have worked with him in the Information Department and elsewhere vouch for his willingness to go the extra mile to get things done, that too in the right way.
A major problem for the KPs who fled from Srinagar, and other districts of Kashmir, decades ago, is the encroachments and misappropriation of their properties by land sharks. In Srinagar district alone, there are dozens of Hindu temples and their adjoining lands which are in illegal possession of unauthorised people. There is a movement presently going on in several parts of the Kashmir valley, including Srinagar, to get these temples and their lands vacated from the encroachers.
Due to efforts of some active members of the KP community, with backing from the administration, some temples have been freed from the clutches of unscrupulous elements. After cleaning up operations and demolitions of unauthorised structures at many locations, prayers were conducted in these temples. However, this does not appear to be a permanent solution as the KPs need to return and reclaim what they were deprived of decades ago.
Labroo’s appointment as DC of Srinagar may just prove to the spark that lit the spark of desire to return to Kashmir among KPs.
