The issue of Kashmiri Pandits has been a recurring and prominent theme in India's national politics. In our last column for Himal Briefs, we discussed how the film The Kashmir Files negatively presented Kashmiri Muslims, which led to Islamophobia and attacks across the country. The Hindu right-wing government and its ideological mentor – the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), promoted the film. The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement referred to Pandits as "devout Indians", positioning them as a pro-Indian and nationalistic subset of the Kashmiri population, who will work for India's interests in the region. This has made the minority prone to attacks. In April, the statement was made to a group of Kashmiri Pandits wherein Bhagwat also heaped praise on Israel and Jews who struggled for their "homeland" and succeeded. Such a statement, when the fear of demographic change has engulfed the entire region, is bound to have serious consequences.
Around 18 Kashmiri Pandits and migrant Hindus have been killed as of June 2022 since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, which granted exclusive property and employment rights to the native population. In the last few months, particularly in May (a month after RSS chief's statement), there has been a spike in civilian killings in Kashmir. Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit who worked in the revenue department in central Kashmir, was shot dead in his office on 12 May. On 31 May, Rajni Bala was killed after being attacked outside a government school in south Kashmir where she worked as a teacher. Several migrant labourers from India were targeted in deadly attacks since the change in Kashmir's special status. Militant groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and The Resistance Front have released statements justifying these attacks as retaliation against attempts to settle outsiders and change the demographics of the region. Many security experts have pointed to the changing nature of militancy in Kashmir – the recent attacks were well-planned, and their targets were strategic.