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| KDPW-DPAP Demands Separate Caste Census for Kashmiri Pandits | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 30: The Kashmiri Displaced People Wing (KDPW) of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) has strongly welcomed the Government of India’s recent decision to conduct a caste-based census, calling it a long-overdue step toward social justice. In a joint statement, senior leaders of the wing, including Sanjay Dhar, Piaray Lal Pandita, Raj Kumar Ticku, Daily Dhar, Naveen Gosaien, Renu Razdan, and Charenjit Singh, urged the authorities to ensure that the census includes a separate category for Kashmiri Pandits to preserve their distinct historical and cultural identity.
The leaders, hailing from the Kashmiri Pandit Brahmin community, emphasized their community’s ancient lineage, tracing its origins to Sage Kashyap. They noted that Kashmiri Pandits have played a prominent role in the socio-cultural and intellectual history of the Kashmir Valley for thousands of years and should not be grouped under the general Hindu category in the upcoming census.
"The recognition of Kashmiri Pandits as a distinct caste in the census is essential to preserve our identity, status, and historical roots," the leaders said in the statement. They stressed that such recognition would help restore the community’s unique position, which has been threatened due to the displacement caused by the insurgency in the 1990s.
Highlighting the community’s widespread dispersal across India and abroad, the KDPW leaders appealed to the Government of India and the Census Department to ensure that this demographic reality is accurately reflected. They asserted that the census must record “Kashmiri Pandit” as a separate category to reaffirm their cultural and religious heritage and ensure rightful representation.
The leaders also called for an impartial caste-based enumeration of displaced Kashmiri Pandits, separate from other Hindu castes such as Rajputs and other communities from the Kashmir Valley, to accurately reflect their minority status and distinct socio-cultural background.
They expressed hope that the government will direct the concerned departments to take appropriate steps to ensure the community is recorded as “Kashmiri Pandit Brahmins” in the census — a move they say would be a source of pride and much-needed recognition for their displaced community. |
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