Labelling Kashmiri Pandits’s Exodus ‘Propaganda’ Was Second Genocide: LG Manoj Sinha

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 20:43 IST

Describing exodus of Kashmiri Pandits as one of the world’s most heartbreaking tragedies, J&K LG Manoj Sinha said society must ensure it is not buried under political noise.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday lashed out over the alleged efforts to reframe the narrative around Kashmiri Pandits’ exodus of 1990, saying that the truth about the tragedy was not just suppressed but “systematically distorted" for decades.

While speaking at the launch of Professor Ashok Kaul’s book ‘Kashmir: Nativity Regained’, the Lieutenant Governor said that attempts to term the suffering of Kashmiri Pandits as “propaganda" amounted to a second genocide – “the genocide of truth, memory and justice."

“When the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits was exposed, some elements linked to a particular ecosystem dared to call it propaganda. By doing so, they carried out a second genocide — an attempt to murder truth itself," he said.

A Deep Civilisational Wound

Sinha said that the events of 1989–90, when Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homes under terrorist threats, were one of the deepest wounds of independent India. He said that pain stemming from the massacre is so profound that even time has not dulled it.

“The pain is so deep that even time’s balm has not reduced it. Families were uprooted like trees from their own soil," he said.

He described the genocide as not merely a political episode, but a human catastrophe where trust was shattered, relationships collapsed, and silence became the only language left behind in Kashmir.

Sinha further said that terrorism in Kashmir targeted not only individuals but the soul of generations.

“Terrorists sowed fear in the eyes of innocent children. They attacked not just individuals, but the spirit of an entire civilisation," he said.

He added that the Kashmiri Pandit genocide was accompanied by the killing of faith itself -where neighbours turned silent, bonds broke, and familiar faces sometimes emerged as conspirators.

Breaking Decades Of Silence

Calling Professor Kaul’s work far more than literature, the LG said Nativity Regained is an attempt to break the silence that has buried itself in thousands of hearts for nearly four decades.

“This book is not just a story. It is reality. It is a voice against the long silence that has shadowed our collective conscience," he said.

Through characters like Mohan and Hasan, Kaul has captured the trauma of leaving behind laughter-filled homes, temples, villages, gardens and ancestral roots — a farewell that was never voluntary.

Hope After Article 370 Abrogation

The Lieutenant Governor said the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked a turning point.

“That day, the call of abandoned homes was heard again. A belief was born that the new generation can now touch those roots without fear," he said, reiterating that the return of Kashmiri Pandits with full dignity and security is a commitment made by the Prime Minister.

He also highlighted the launch of the Kashmiri Migrant Web Portal in 2021 to help recover encroached properties and facilitate rehabilitation.

Warning For Terror Outfits

Issuing a stern warning, Sinha said the government would dismantle the entire terror ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Every link of terrorism will be exposed. Every individual associated with terror will be brought to justice. Those who betray the nation will face punishment so severe that generations will tremble," he said.

He asserted that ordinary citizens in Jammu and Kashmir no longer need to live in fear.

He added that both Kashmiri Pandits and Muslims had suffered due to Pakistan-backed terrorism and called upon the younger generation to remember the atrocities committed during that period.

A National Responsibility

Describing the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits as one of the world’s most heartbreaking tragedies, Sinha said society must ensure it is not buried under political noise or collective amnesia.

“Justice cannot come without remembrance," he said, saluting the resilience of displaced families who preserved their culture and identity through years of exile.

“This is the time of reconstruction. Even after the darkest night, the sun will rise again," the Lieutenant Governor said.

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