Over a century, the population of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley has plummeted from 55,052 in 1921 to a mere 6,514 in 2022, which is reported to have further gone down by 2024

(Kashmir Rechords Analysis)

If the records  and Census Reports are to be relied upon, over the past century, the Kashmiri Pandit community has witnessed a staggering decline in its population within the Kashmir Valley, a change so profound that it is often described as a case of ethnic cleansing.

In 1921, the Jammu and Kashmir State Census recorded 55,052 Kashmiri Pandits residing in the Valley, as noted in Pt. Anand Kaul’s 1924 book Kashmiri Pandits. Of this number, 21,635 lived in Srinagar, while 33,417 were spread across rural areas. Despite their modest population, they maintained a healthy sex ratio with 30,944 males and 24,108 females. Far from the “elite ruling class” narrative, only seven Pandits held gazetted positions in Government jobs at that time!

The records assessed by Kashmir Rechords reveal that by 1931, the population grew to 63,108, marking a modest  increase of 8,056 over a decade. The 1941 census recorded  total number of 78,800 Kashmiri Pandits living  in the Valley, distributed across the two existing districts: Baramulla and Anantnag.  Interestingly, Srinagar , housing  a significant portion of the Kashmiri  Pandit population, was  a part of Anantnag district until 1951.

As per historian Christopher Snedden, Kashmiri Pandits made up about 6% of the Valley’s population in 1947. However, post-independence policies such as land redistribution and socio-political upheaval led many to further  migrate to other parts of India. By the 1950s, their proportion fell to just 5% of the Valley’s population, says Christopher Snedden in his book “Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris”.

Exodus and Ethnic Cleansing

The 1981 census checked out by Kashmir Rechords, recorded 124,078 Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. By 1986 ( Anantnag riots) and late 1980s, as insurgency gripped Kashmir, threats and targeted violence against Pandits forced an overwhelming majority to flee.  An estimated 140,000 to 170,000 Pandits left their ancestral homes in Kashmir, seeking refuge in Jammu, Delhi, and beyond.

What followed was a catastrophic demographic collapse! By 2011, fewer than 3,400 Kashmiri Pandits remained in the Valley—a 98% drop from the late 1980s. The 2022 statement by  the then Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai on the Floor of the House, revealed that this number had risen marginally to 6,514, with the highest concentration (2,639) in Kulgam district. Despite government efforts, including employment packages under the Prime Minister’s initiative, the dream of a large-scale return remains unfulfilled.

Amid the exodus, a handful of Pandits all these years chose to stay, weathering threats and violence. Yet, their existence was  marred by continued violence.  Apart from   earlier massacres, even between 2020 and 2022, over 12 more Kashmiri Pandits were killed by terrorists, a stark reminder of the dangers they still face!

A Community on the Brink

The disappearance of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley raises profound questions about the future of Kashmir’s social fabric. As Alexander Evans observes, the loss of this small yet significant minority leaves a void, changing the character of the region forever.

Over a century, the population of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley has plummeted from 55,052 in 1921 to a mere 6,514 . This decline is not just a statistic but a testament to the trials of a community uprooted from its homeland. Their story is one of survival, resilience and a longing to return to the land of their ancestors.