BARAMULLA: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday said he regretted the delay of over three decades in delivering justice to families of terrorism victims and apologised for the same. He said many families suffered without recognition, compensation, or rehabilitation for more than 30 years.
The Lieutenant Governor was speaking at a function held at the University of Kashmir’s North Campus in Baramulla, where appointment letters were distributed to the next of kin of those killed in militant attacks.
“I apologise that it took three decades for justice to reach you,” Sinha said, addressing the gathering.
Sinha said Pakistan-backed militants killed thousands of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990, but many of those deaths were not officially acknowledged. He said that the victims’ families were often silenced and ignored, and their grievances remained unaddressed.
The Lieutenant Governor said that a change in approach began after families reached out to Raj Bhavan through the Save Youth Save Future Foundation. He cited the case of a family that lost its breadwinner to terrorism, where one daughter later died by suicide and the remaining family members struggled for years without support.
He said a meeting with officials after a recent visit to Anantnag led to five key decisions: jobs for eligible next of kin under government rules; financial support for families previously left out; enhanced credit support under the Mudra Yojana for livelihood assistance; registration and reinvestigation of pending cases; and restoration of seized properties to legal heirs.
He said district administrations were instructed to register affected families through special helplines. According to him, in 14 days, 193 such cases from Kashmir and 61 from Jammu were formally recorded, many involving pending FIRs or denied compensation.
A high-level police committee has been formed to reopen 45 old cases. Sinha said reinvestigation orders had already been issued in 23 cases.
Sinha said many in Kashmir in earlier decades had chosen to glorify terrorists while ignoring the victims of violence. He said efforts are now being made to correct that historical neglect and to prevent those accused of promoting or supporting terrorism from receiving government jobs.
He mentioned several individual cases, including Wali Mohammad of Fatehgarh, whose three sons were killed in separate militant incidents in the 1990s, and Raja Begum of Lilam in Kupwara, who lost her husband and three children in 1999. Both families attended Sunday’s event and were among those who received employment letters.
The Lieutenant Governor also warned against individuals or groups who, he said, continued to support or propagate narratives sympathetic to terrorist groups. He said such activities would face legal consequences.
Sinha said the administration would now reach out to all families affected by terrorism, ensure pending FIRs are filed, illegal encroachments on properties are addressed, and rightful entitlements are provided.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to conduct thorough investigations into all cases, including those involving the killing of Kashmiri Pandits.
Senior officials present included Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, Home Secretary Chandrakar Bharti, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, Deputy Commissioner Baramulla Minga Sherpa, and members of the Save Youth Save Future Foundation.
Sinha said the government would continue this process until all eligible victim families are identified and assisted.
