Jammu: Panic-stricken people are leaving Anantnag following unrest in the state, The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front is agitating for independence to Kashmir.
At least 50 persons have fled, most to Jammu where they are staying with friends and relatives. While most are buying or renting houses to shift their families some have come bags and baggage
Most of them are Hindu Kashmiri Pundits. The gunning down of PM Bhat, a leading lawyer and free-lance journalist who was quite popular in the community on Dec 27 has created a scare among the Pundits. Subsequent attacks on members of the community sparked the exodus.
According to a Pundit leader, the Hindus are fleeing from other towns in Anantnag district also. Most have come to Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba; some have fled to Chandigarh, Hardwar and Delhi. More are likely to leave when curfew is lifted in Anantnag. None of those fleeing is willing to be identified for fear of losing their property which they have left behind to militants.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 19, 1990
