Seeking transfer, employees take their agitation to virtual world

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, July 3

Members of the Kashmiri Pandit community, especially the employees who have been protesting for their transfer out of the Valley, are making the most of the social media to attract the attention of people across the globe.

Protest on July 10

Around 100 Kashmiri Pandit employees will hold a protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 10.

They say their forefathers had to flee from Kashmir in 1990s, but they couldn’t highlight their plight for the past three decades. The younger generation, which saw its recent exodus after a spurt in killings, mostly non-Muslims and government employees, by terrorists across the Valley, says the social media has helped it disseminate the information about its suffering.

Naveen Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit employee who has been protesting at the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner’s office in Jammu for several days, says the social media played a key role in highlighting the condition of the employees after they fled the Valley. “The plight of Pandits could not reach the masses till the recent social media explosion. Now, Pandits can be seen putting forth their pain and agony through social media,” she adds.

Employees have formed Facebook pages where they regularly upload photos and videos of their protests to make aware maximum number of people.

Rubon Saproo, who also fled the Valley recently, said the social media had been helping the employees to highlight their genuine demand regarding relocation to Jammu. “Employees’ killing at their workplaces has gone viral on social media where people express their anguish. We have seen employees bringing every incident on social media even before the print and electronic media reaches the spot. Thus, the social media has brought the reality of Pandits in front of the masses,” Saproo adds.

Dalit employees, who left Kashmir after terrorists killed a schoolteacher, Rajni Bala, are also making the use of the social media platforms. Vipan Kumar, a Dalit employee protesting at Ambedkar Chowk in Jammu, says social media has not only given voice to the protesters but has ensured that their woes reach the people in the government. “In today’s world, we can directly tag senior functionaries of the government or even top political figures. This is why the entire country knows about the Hindu employees who were forced to leave the Valley recently,” he adds.

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