The 1986 Kashmir Riots, also commonly referred to as the 1986 Anantnag Riots, were a series of attacks targeting Kashmiri Hindus in the

Kashmir region Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

of the then

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in

Anantnag district Anantnag district is a district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of ten districts which make up the Kashmir Valley. The district headquarters is Anantnag city. As of 2011, it was the third most populous district ...

Background

The JK Land Estates Abolition Act of 1950 allowed the govt to unilaterally confiscate private land owned by landlords, which adversely affected thousands of Kashmiri Hindus overnight. This also led to some Kashmiri Hindus leaving the state. In 1982,

Sheikh Abdullah Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (later re ...

died, with his son

Farooq Abdullah Farooq Abdullah (born 21 October 1937) is an Indian politician who was Ex. President of Jammu & Kashmir National Conference. He has served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on several occasions since 1982, and as the union minister f ...

taking over soon after. Despite winning the 1983 election, Farooq was replaced by

Ghulam Mohammad Shah Ghulam Mohammad Shah or G. M. Shah or Gul Shah (20 July 1920 – 6 January 2009) was an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2 July 1984 to 6 March 1986. He succeeded his brother-in-law Farooq Ab ...

, also known as Gul Shah. In Anantnag Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who later founded the PDP, was the elected representative at the time. In early 1986,

Gul Shah Ghulam Mohammad Shah or G. M. Shah or Gul Shah (20 July 1920 – 6 January 2009) was an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir from 2 July 1984 to 6 March 1986. He succeeded his brother-in-law Farooq Ab ...

announced the construction of a masjid inside the location of an ancient Hindu Temple in the Jammu Civil Secretariat. This move sparked widespread criticism and protests in Jammu. In February, Gul Shah then went to Kashmir and provocatively said, ''"Islam khatre mein hain"'' (Translation: "Islam is in danger"). These incendiary statements by Gul Shah are believed to have been partially to blame for the breaking out of riots.

Rioting

After the Indian government allowed the Babri Masjid (the location of the present

Ram Mandir Ram Mandir is a Hindu temple that is being built in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, at the site of Ram Janmabhoomi, according to the ''Ramayana'' the birthplace of Rama, a principal deity of Hinduism. The temple construction is being supervised ...

, believed to be the birthplace of Bhagwan

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

) to be opened for Hindu Worship, protests erupted. 8 cities in Jammu and Kashmir had curfews in place. Hindu Temples were burned down and destroyed in towns including Vanpoh,

Anantnag Anantnag (/ə'nʌntna:g/ or /-nɑːg/ ), also called Islamabad, is the administrative headquarters of the Anantnag district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is located at a distance of 53 kilometres (33 miles) from the u ...

Sopore Sopore, known as Suyyapur in antiquity, is a city in the Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is north-west of Srinagar, and north-east from the city of Baramulla. Sopore Town has Asia's second largest fruit mandi (wholesale ...

, Luk Bawan, Salar (Pahalgam Tehsil), Fatehpur, Akura etc. Anantnag, which saw much of the violence, had multiple attacks on

Hindu Temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hin ...

s. Many Kashmiri Hindu owned shops, homes and properties were attacked and targeted. These developments led to a large number of Kashmiri Hindus shifting to places including

Udhampur Udhampur (ˌʊd̪ʱəmpur) is a city and a municipal council in Udhampur district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters of Udhampur District. Named after Raja Udham Singh, it serves as the district capital ...

and

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

. Thus the "first wave of exodus" of Kashmiri Hindus was in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1986 Kashmir Riots Anti-Hindu violence Anti-Hindu sentiment History of Hinduism Persecution of Hindus Persecution by Muslims Kashmiri Hindus Hinduism-related controversies Human rights abuses in Jammu and Kashmir Internal migration Kashmir conflict 1980s in Jammu and Kashmir Kashmiri nationalism

Background

Rioting

See also

References