Centre should ensure security of Kashmiri Pandits: Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday urged the Centre to take steps to ensure the security of Kashmiri Pandits in the wake of the last week killing of a government servant from the community.

Rahul Bhat, who had got the job of a clerk under the special employment package for migrants in 2010-11, was gunned down by terrorists inside the tehsil office in Chadoora town of central Kashmir's Budgam district on Thursday.

"A Kashmiri Pandit was killed inside his office by terrorists. It seems it was planned. The Indian Army gunned down two terrorists in a day. But the incident has left Kashmiri Pandits scared," Kejriwal said in an online briefing.

He also said the Kashmiri Pandits who protested against the incident the next day were lathicharged. The officers responsible for the lathi-charge should be immediately terminated, he demanded.

"How will Kashmiri Pandits residing in other states think of returning to Kashmir if they don't feel safe. This is not the time for politics but for the country. I urge the Centre to ensure security for Kashmiri Pandits," he said.