The family of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit who was killed by terrorists earlier this week, had sought his transfer from Chadoora citing threat to his life, but the administration took no action, his colleagues claimed on Saturday.
Bhat was shot dead by terrorists in a targeted killing inside the tehsil office in Chadoora town of Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district on Thursday. He was appointed as a clerk under the special employment package for migrants in 2010-11.
Protesting his killing, the Kashmiri Pandit employees who were employed under the prime minister's package in 2008 told PTI Bhat's wife had met the officials of the administration a few times to plead for his transfer.
"When Deepak Chand [another Kashmiri Pandit] was killed, there was a threat perception. He [Bhat] thought that something may happen to him as well. His wife had gone to them [officials] two to three times but there was no action," Sanjay Kumar, a Kashmiri Pandit employee, told PTI.
Deepak Chand, a teacher, was shot dead by terrorists in a school in Srinagar along with his principal Satinder Kour. The terrorists had isolated the two of them after checking their identity cards.
Sanjay said Bhat's wife had pleaded that he be shifted to the deputy commissioner's office in Budgam.
"But the file with her plea was kept in the garbage. Now, he lost the life. She [Bhat's wife] had been pleading [with the authorities] that Chadoora is not a safe place," said Sanjay.
Another employee, who requested anonymity, claimed that Rahul Bhat was not provided with any security despite the issue being raised by his wife. He said that he can be identified as another Rahul "as we all are Rahul Bhat".
"His wife had gone to the deputy commissioner. But what security was provided to him or all of us? Did they not have intelligence inputs about the attack?” the protesting employees questioned.
The deputy commissioner of Budgam, Shahbaz Ahmad Mirza, did not respond to calls for his comments.
(With PTI inputs)
