To destroy a community, history has it that art, language and literature are first destroyed in order to detach the people from their cultural roots. During the Kashmir insurgency in the 90s, a planned execution took place to wipe out Hindus from the state. Prominent Kashmiri Pandits were murdered to end up the leadership of Pandits from the valley.

 

 

One such prominent personality of the community was the renowned scholar and poet, Sarvanand Kaul Premi. A social activist and freedom fighter of Quit India movement, Premi used to live with his family in Jammu and Kashmir. He was a very religious and liberal person. When the attacks on Hindus started, his family too tried to convince him to leave the valley, but he refused. He believed in the "secular traditions" of his beloved homeland.

 

 

 

 

 

On the evening of 29th April, 1990 three terrorists entered his house and ordered the entire family to gather in one room. The terrorists ordered that they should collect all their valuables and belongings like gold, jewellery, cash, pashmina garments, saris, shawls etc. in the room. The other gold ornaments that women and the men of house were wearing were snatched from them. Collecting all the family’s valuables the terrorists asked the soft spoken Premi to follow them. To his scared family they said that "We mean no harm to him and he will return". Then Virender Kaul, Premi’s eldest son requested the terrorists to let him accompany his father so that he could lead the old man back home in the dark night. To which they agreed and with this uncertainty both the father and the son went out of the house.

 

 

 

 

The young man and his father never returned home, only their bodies were found on 1st May 1990. The murderers killed both mercilessly. The spine-chilling and nauseating incident shook every eyewitness. Part of Premi’s forehead where he used to apply sandalwood as part of the famous Hindu tradition, was cruelly pierced by a sharp weapon and the skin was peeled off. The entire body bore the marks of cigarette burns. The limbs were found broken and eyes of both father and the son were gouged out. They were later hanged and to be doubly sure shot dead too.