Block premature release of Priyadarshini Mattoo’s convict: Kashmiri Pandits to govt

The All-India Kashmiri Samaj (AIKS) has raised strong objections over the premature release of Santosh Kumar Singh, the man convicted of rape and murder of law student Priyadarshini Mattoo, and has called upon the Delhi government to intervene urgently.

In a letter addressed to Union Minister Ashish Sood, AIKS president Ravinder Pandita urged the government to ensure that Singh remained behind bars, warning that his early release would set a dangerous precedent in cases classified as “rarest of the rare”.

The letter, sent on behalf of the Kashmiri Pandit community, expressed deep anguish and called on the Delhi Government and Sentence Review Board to reconsider any decision that facilitates Singh’s release. “His premature release will create a wrong precedence for such rarest of rare cases that actually deserve capital punishment,” Pandita wrote.

AIKS described itself as a federal body representing Kashmiri Pandit community organisations across India and abroad, with a mission to highlight political, economic and social concerns affecting displaced Kashmiri Pandits. Pandita emphasised that the community viewed this case as a symbolic fight for justice and dignity.

The organisation urged the government to not only object to Singh’s early release but also to consider filing a supplementary chargesheet to pursue capital punishment in the case. “We request the government, through your office, to thwart and object to the premature release of Santosh Kumar Singh,” the letter said.