Rahul Gandhi writes to PM Modi, urges him to resolve Kashmiri Pandits' woes

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has urged Prime Minister Modi to look into the "plight" of Kashmiri Pandit employees who do not want to return to the Kashmir valley without a guarantee of their security, and accused the Union Territory administration of adopting an "insensitive" approach towards them.

Government officers forcing them to return to valley, says Gandhi

In a letter to the Prime Minister, he flagged the issue of the recent spate of targeted killings of the Kashmiri Pandits and others by the terrorists, creating an atmosphere of fear and gloom in the valley.

Rahul described a delegation of the Pandits meeting him durring the Jammu leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra that was aimed at uniting the whole of India in a thread of love and unity.

"They said the government officials are forcing them to go back to work in the Kashmir valley. In these circumstances, forcing them to go back to the valley without any surety of their safety and security is a cruel move, he said.

Till the situation improves, the government can take services of these Kashmiri Pandit employees in other administrative and public facilities, Rahul wrote to the PM in Hindi.

PM-Package employees feat targeted killing

Nearly 4,000 Kashmiri Pandits are working in different departments in the valley after their selection under the PM's employment packaged announced in 2008. The package has two major components -- 6,000 jobs for the youth from the community and building as many accommodation units for the recruited employees.

However, many of them fled to Jammu after one of their colleague, Rahul Bhat, was shot dead by the terrorists in his office in Budgam district on May 12 last year in what was described as a case of targeted killing.