Emotional scenes as J&K L-G Sinha hands over jobs to 158 relatives of terror victims

Moist eyes and emotional scenes were witnessed in Srinagar on Tuesday (August 5, 2025) when J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha handed over appointment letters to 158 relatives of terror victims.

Speaking on the occasion, L-G Sinha said he will do everything possible for the rehabilitation of terror victims. “It is my promise to the next of kins of terror victim families that perpetrators of heinous crime will receive exemplary punishment. We will also ensure harshest possible punishment to terror sympathisers,” the L-G said.

The terror victims were from across the Kashmir valley. Many were kids when their parents were killed by terrorists in the 1990s. Among the families identified for jobs, included Special Police Officer Manzoor Ahmad Rather, a resident of Warpora, Baramulla, killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists 25 years ago. Rather’s son Khurshid Ahmad Rather was handed over an appointment letter. 

It was a long wait for Parvez Ahmad Dar to finally see a ray of hope. On July 6, 1996, terrorists killed Dar’s father Ghulam Qadir Dar. On July 30, 2004, his brother, Aijaz Ahmad Dar, was also killed by terrorists.

“Twenty nine years after his father’s death, Parvez’s nightmare is over. Wounds that have persisted for decades are now being healed. Today’s landmark event provided a sense of closure to the families who have silently suffered trauma for years,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

“Abdul Majid’s family lost their sole breadwinner and received ₹1 lakh as an ex-gratia payment under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme. Despite Abdul Majid Mir’s martyrdom, his family struggled to live a life of dignity. Today, by providing a government job to his son, Mudasir Majid, the administration has fulfilled its long-overdue responsibility.

Mr. Sinha praised the courage and perseverance of the families who have suffered from terrorism. “The long wait for justice and for healing to begin is over for the terror victim families. I assure the family members of civilian martyrs that I will not rest until every family that has been a victim of the terrorists’ atrocities gets justice,” L-G Sinha said.

The L-G chose August 5, an anniversary of the abrogation of provisions of Article 370, to distribute jobs among terror victims carried a message in itself. 

“On 5 August 2019, a new Jammu and Kashmir was born. A new J&K that had dreams of a golden future in its eyes. A new J&K, which treated all its citizens as equal and removed discrimination that was prevalent for seven decades,” L-G Sinha said.

He added that peace was a prerequisite for progress. “There is no place for terrorism in a civilized society. Many generations of J&K have suffered the brunt of terrorism perpetrated by the neighbouring country. Every person has to take a pledge that they will not allow this to happen again. We must rise against terrorism,” Mr. Sinha said.

The L-G administration has come up with a web portal to streamline and expedite the process of providing relief, compassionate appointments, and other forms of assistance to those who have suffered from terrorism in the UT.