As terrorists have intensified selective killings of non-locals for the last one month, fear gripped over 2500 Dalit families of Jammu because their dear ones have been serving in different government departments in the interiors of Kashmir Valley.
Following relaxations in COVID restrictions, most of the employees have resumed their duties in their respective departments from the first week of September. Selective killing of non-locals has started after improvement in the COVID situation.
"In the month of October 2019, some incidents of selective killings happened, but we were not worried. Today's incident has shaken our faith," Rajeev Kumar, whose brother is serving in South Kashmir said. He added that today's killing has refreshed the early 1990s situation in the Valley when selective killing was a routine affair.
Over 2500 Dalit employees serving in different areas of Valley
Besides nearly 1500 Jammu-based state cadre employees who have been transferred to Kashmir Valley, there are over 2500 Dalit employees who were directly appointed under the inter-district recruitment policy of the J&K government, are serving in all the ten districts of the Valley in different departments.
These employees are recruited on district cadre posts so it is difficult for them to get posting in Jammu province.
As there is no Dalit population in Kashmir Valley, qualified Scheduled Castes (SCs) youth from Jammu province have opted for district cadre posts reserved for SCs in the Valley.
"Our family members have reasons to be worried because first time after the eruption of terrorism in Kashmir Valley, selective killings of non-locals have started with such an intensity," an employee serving in Valley said on the condition of anonymity.
What is inter-district recruitment?
The inter-district recruitment bill, which was passed by J&K Legislative Assembly on August 9, 2010, has banned inter-district recruitment and provided a quota for Scheduled Castes in government jobs in all districts.
Youth can now apply for government jobs only in his/her own district but any candidate belonging to the SC community can apply in any of the 20 districts in the Union Territory, including the Kashmir valley. Taking benefit of this Act, large numbers of unemployed educated SC youth have got recruited in different areas of Kashmir Valley.
Deceased Deepak Chand was a non-Kashmiri migrant
Deepak Chand, a teacher of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Iddgah Sangam, who was killed by terrorists on Thursday was a non-Kashmiri migrant. His family was settled in Kashmir Valley before the eruption of terrorism in the 1990s. Along with Kashmiri Pandits, Deepak Chand family was also shifted to Jammu. He was selected as a teacher under Prime Minister's Special Employment Package for Kashmiri migrants.
