Srinagar: Hindus and Sikhs in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir have reportedly received threats, with posters written in Urdu appearing on their houses, warning them to leave the area or face severe consequences. The threatening posters, discovered on the evening of October 14, 2023, in the Degwar Maldiyalan village, were written in Urdu, explicitly instructing Hindus and Sikhs to vacate the area promptly. Failure to do so, the posters stated, would result in dire consequences.
Reportedly, one poster was found on the door of lawyer Mahinder Piyasa's house, while others were discovered in the courtyards of two other residents, Sujan Singh and Kishore Kumar. Concerns over safety have risen among Hindu and Sikh families in the area following the appearance of these threatening posters.
This incident raises questions about whether it is a reaction to the ongoing Israeli campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, as some staunch Muslim communities in India have been known to express solidarity with their Muslim counterparts, regardless of their origins or locations.
It's important to note that Hindu and Sikh families have faced continuous threats in Jammu and Kashmir. In January 2023, Islamic terrorists targeted Hindu families in Dangri village of Rajouri district, resulting in the deaths of seven innocent civilians, including children, in a horrific terrorist attack. In response, security forces neutralized two terrorists.
The threat to Hindus and Sikhs in the Poonch district has also evoked painful memories of the 1990 massacre of Kashmiri Pandits when Islamic terrorists placed threatening posters on the houses of Kashmiri Pandits, urging them to convert to Islam, leave, or face death. Security agencies are currently investigating the source of these threatening posters in the Poonch case.
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