A video has gone viral across social media platforms, claiming that Kashmiri Pandits are being prevented from constructing a house in the Verinag area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir.
The video, widely shared by users on Instagram and X, asserts that a Kashmiri Pandit had “mustered” the courage to rebuild his house in the area after leaving Kashmir during the 1990 exodus. However, it is alleged that local Muslims resorted to violence and did not allow the construction to proceed.
Some users even claimed that this incident is a reaction to the recent election results, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to secure a majority on its own.
This happened with a Kashmiri Hindu family who dared to go back to Kashmir & build their house at Verinag , they were attacked by their neighbours .Just 24 hours after results this is what is happening in Kashmir pic.twitter.com/IryhKLNXZZ
— Dr.SushmaShallakaul🇮🇳 (@shallakaul) June 6, 2024
“This happened with a Kashmiri Hindu family who dared to go back to Kashmir and build their house in Verinag; they were attacked by their neighbors. Just 24 hours after the results, this is what is happening in Kashmir,” wrote an account with the username Dr. Sushamshallakaul. Upon investigation, it is clear that this account promotes pro-BJP content and shares videos critical of the Congress party.
The video in question, shot on Thursday, has been misrepresented on social media with an apparent intent to disrupt communal harmony in Kashmiri society and potentially influence the broader Indian public.
Several controversial websites, without proper investigation, have also circulated this news item with similar claims, many even stating that the Kashmiri Pandit had “mustered” courage to build his house in the area. However, this claim is inaccurate, as has been verified by The Kashmiriyat.
Sunil Wali, a resident of Verinag, nearly 38 kilometers away from Anantnag in south Kashmir, is well-regarded by both Muslims and Hindus in the area. Sunil, a government employee, has been living amicably with his Muslim neighbors in the Chontipora locality of Verinag for several years.
The argument, now a viral video, was the result of a dispute over three Marlas of state land used by locals as a car park. One party attempted to occupy the land for building a house. “It was women from both sides who started the dispute, and Sunil only intervened to stop the fight,” locals told The Kashmiriyat.
Sunil and several other families have been using this space of three Marlas (816.752 square feet) for parking their vehicles. The dispute arose when Sunil objected to a local resident’s plan to occupy the parking space.
Sunil is not the only Kashmiri Pandit living in Verinag; several Pandit families remained during the turmoil of the 1990s and have been protected and cared for by their Muslim neighbors.
A local resident of Verinag told The Kashmiriyat, “The Auqaf committee has amicably resolved the issue between the two families, leading to a peaceful agreement. The community has decided to use the disputed space as a parking area. The Auqaf emphasized that the matter is a simple family dispute and should not be blown out of proportion, as it has no communal implications.”
A video of the agreement, shared by a local resident with The Kashmiriyat, shows the disputing parties hugging, with the Kashmiri Pandit woman seated with officials. “The matter has been resolved and has no communal angle. This was a small land dispute,” Sunil, who has been living in the area for several years, said.
Officials have also issued a clarification on the video, stating that the incident has no communal angle and is merely a property dispute.
“The incident in the video is being blown out of proportion. The issue is not about a family being barred from constructing their house on their private property. Instead, the situation arose from a minor dispute between two neighbors over the use of approximately 3 Marlas of state land. This portion of land was being used for private parking by the parties involved. The conflict emerged when one party attempted to erect a boundary wall on this state land, which the other party objected to, leading to a heated exchange,” the Department of Information and Public Relations Jammu Kashmir said in a post.
Upon being informed, the civil and police administration promptly reached the spot, mediated between the parties, and resolved the matter amicably on the spot. “We urge the public to verify information before sharing it on social media to prevent the spread of inaccurate narratives that can lead to unnecessary concern,” the district administration Anantnag appealed.