Srinagar, Sep 10: The latest threat issued against Prime Minister’s Package employees in Jammu and Kashmir, featuring photographs of protesting employees and an image of an AK-47, is deeply alarming and must be treated as a serious security concern, said Rakesh Handoo, speaking on behalf of the affected PM Package employees.
Handoo said the employees have been subjected to repeated threats in recent weeks, but the latest communication has taken the intimidation to a more serious level by using photographs of employees who had recently participated in protests seeking safe accommodation and security.
”This is not merely a threat on paper. When photographs of employees are circulated with a gun image and the perpetrators claim to possess information about their whereabouts, families and daily activities, it raises extremely serious questions about their safety and the possible misuse of personal data,” Handoo said in a statement issued here.
He urged the Jammu and Kashmir Police and security agencies to immediately take cognisance of the latest threat and register a case under relevant provisions of law, besides identifying those behind the communication.
Handoo said the employees should not be left to deal with such threats on their own and called for an immediate security assessment of those whose photographs have appeared in the threatening communication.
”The government must urgently assess the threat perception of these employees and take whatever security measures are necessary to protect them. Waiting for an actual attack before acting would be a grave mistake,” he said.
He also sought a thorough investigation into the alleged circulation of personal information of PM Package employees on social media platforms and other digital channels.
”If individuals with terror links are claiming to possess phone numbers, addresses, family details, movements and other personal information of employees, the source of this information must be investigated. Any unauthorised access, leakage or circulation of such data cannot be ignored,” Handoo said.
He further appealed to the authorities to expedite the allotment of secured transit accommodation to employees who continue to live in vulnerable locations, particularly those who have been seeking safer accommodation through repeated representations and protests.
”The employees have consistently asked for secure accommodation so that they can discharge their duties without living under constant fear. The government must address this concern on priority and ensure that vulnerable employees are shifted to properly secured facilities,” he said.
Handoo said the latest threats should not be viewed in isolation, pointing to a series of threatening communications targeting PM Package employees in recent weeks.
”These threats are intended not only to intimidate individual employees but also to create fear among an entire community of employees who returned to Kashmir under a government employment package,” he said.
He appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the J&K DGP, senior police and security officials to intervene immediately.
”Our employees are not enemies of the people. They are government employees trying to perform their duties in their own homeland. They should not be forced to choose between their livelihood and their personal safety,” Handoo said.
He said the government’s response to the threats would also have a bearing on wider efforts to encourage the return and rehabilitation of displaced Kashmiri Pandit families in the Valley.
”If people who have returned to serve in Kashmir cannot feel secure about their lives, homes and families, it will inevitably undermine confidence in the larger process of return and rehabilitation,” he said.
Handoo urged the administration to identify and prosecute those issuing the threats, investigate the alleged data leak, conduct an immediate security audit of vulnerable employees and ensure secure accommodation.
”We appeal for action before these threats translate into violence. Security cannot be reactive; it has to be preventive when specific individuals are being threatened and their photographs are being circulated,” he said.
