Recalling the Kashmir exodus

The film The Kashmir Files evoked memories of my visits to the Valley during 1985-1990 when I was the regional DIG in the CBI at Chandigarh. 

I took an afternoon flight for Srinagar from Jammu after finishing work in the CBI office, Jammu. As I settled down in my seat, a co-passenger asked me what time it was. ‘4.30 pm,’ I replied. He retorted mockingly: ‘4, not 4.30.’ 4 pm would have been the corresponding time in Pakistan.

I alighted at Srinagar and drove to the BSF officers’ mess. On the way, I saw crowds with Pakistani flags, shouting slogans against India and exhorting Hindus to leave the Valley else they would be killed. Loudspeakers from mosques blared similar threats.

News of violence in the Valley, especially of the killing of Hindus, had been pouring in since March 1989, when on the 14th of that month, one Prabhavati was killed in Srinagar.  On January 25, 1990, terrorists fired at Air Force personnel at the Rawalpura bus stop. Four, including Squadron Leader Ravi Khanna were killed. This case was investigated by the CBI, along with two others — kidnapping on April 6, 1990, and the subsequent killing of Mushir-ul-Haq, VC of Kashmir University, and his secretary and the kidnapping and killing of HL Khera, general manager, HMT. Meanwhile, Jagmohan had taken over as the J&K Governor on January 19, 1990.

The CBI team constituted by the Delhi head office to investigate the cases co-opted me as I had territorial jurisdiction over the area.

On my visit to Srinagar this time, I found a vast difference. There were no crowds from the airport to the BSF mess raising anti-national slogans and exhorting Hindus to leave. No threats blaring from the mosques either.

We used to meet the Governor to brief him about the cases. He refused to release the JKLF terrorists to secure the return of Mushir-ul-Haq and Khera. He rued that he couldn’t completely stop the flight of Kashmiri Pandits, though he stemmed the pace, for much of the exodus had already taken place by January 1990-end.

In certain quarters, there is an uncharitable criticism of Jagmohan; it is alleged that he encouraged the exodus so that he could create an atmosphere for brutal action against the militants. This is not true, as the figures of migration in subsequent months, February 1990 onwards, decreased.

Much later, I met him in New Delhi. He was researching for his book, My Frozen Turbulence in Kashmir. He said the atmosphere for the exodus had been created before he took over and that he did his best to stop it.