Why Rahul Bhat's wife wanted him transferred: big claim by Kashmiri Pandit's peers after terror attack

Amid anger over the killing of Kashmiri Pandit Rahul Bhat by terrorists, new claims by his colleagues have raised fresh questions regarding the Jammu and Kashmir administration's handling of the law-and-order situation.

Was Rahul Bhat fearing an attack by terrorists for over 6 months? Had he requested security from the J&K administration? Had he pleaded for a transfer to a safer location? This is what has been suggested by Bhat's colleagues to news agency PTI.

They said that Bhat had felt threatened ever since Deepak Chand, another Kashmiri Pandit, had been killed in October 2021. Following this, Bhat's wife had approached officials seeking her husband's transfer.

She met government officials 2-3 times to have Bhat transferred from the tehsil office in Chadoora to the deputy commissioner's office in Budgam, but to no avail. Rahul Bhat's wife had also sought security for her husband, according to the colleagues.

Bhat was shot dead by terrorists on May 12 at the tehsil office. His killing has led to widespread protests by the Kashmiri Pandit community, seeking greater security.