Srinagar, Aug 13: Kashmiri Pandit employees working in Kashmir under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package have raised fresh security concerns after alleged threat lists containing their names, departments, places of posting and personal mobile numbers began circulating in the Valley ahead of Independence Day.
In a representation submitted to the National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Minorities, the employees sought an immediate security audit and an inquiry into the alleged leak of their personal and service-related information.
According to the representation, threat lists have been circulating among employees in different departments over the past few days. The lists allegedly direct the employees to boycott official functions on August 15 and warn them of consequences if they do not comply.
The employees have questioned how confidential service details and personal mobile numbers reached groups issuing the threats, alleging that the circulation of such information could point to a serious lapse in data protection and security.
The representation also refers to similar lists circulated in 2022 and 2023, claiming that the names of 56 employees and later 57 PM Package teachers had appeared in such lists. It also refers to the targeted killings of Rahul Bhat and Rajni Bala, after which several employees had submitted mass resignations citing security concerns.
The employees said the latest threats have raised concerns about both their safety and privacy, particularly as the lists allegedly contain personal contact details.
They have sought an FIR and a probe by the Cyber Cell or NIA to establish the source of the alleged data leak and identify those responsible. They have also sought a security audit of PM Package employees and transit camps, particularly ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.
Among their other demands is permission for work from home or attachment with the Jammu Directorate until a fresh threat assessment is completed, citing a similar arrangement made in 2022. They have also sought a time-bound roadmap for security, accommodation and rehabilitation.
The representation recalls that many Kashmiri Pandit employees returned to the Valley under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package launched in 2008, after their community’s mass migration during 1989-90. The employees said they returned with expectations of security and dignified rehabilitation
