Noting that healing sometimes starts only when there's an acknowledgement of the bitter truth, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday referred to a video in which a Kashmiri Muslim youth is talking about the massacre of Kashmir Pandits in his area in 1997 and of the need to "collectively apologise" to the community.
"Sometimes healing starts only when there's an acknowledgement of the bitter truth. With the open acknowledgement of genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s by this Kashmiri Muslim youth, I hope the process of reconciliation will start," Sarma said in a tweet.
The BJP leader attached a video in his tweet in which the youth says that he was "eyewitness" to massacre Kashmiri Pandits.
He asserts that Kashmiri Pandits are an integral part of Kashmiri society and slams those who targeted them.
"An animal also does attack an animal of the same species. A lion does not attack a lion, a dog does not attack a dog," the youth says in an interview to a local cable news channel.
The youth refers to the movie 'The Kashmir Files' released earlier this month and says that there is no need of the film to acknowledge the reality from the heart that atrocities were committed against Kashmiri Pandits.
"Today's youth should acknowledge the mistakes made by the previous generation. We should seek forgiveness from Kashmiri Pandits for the wrongs committed against them. Anyone with a conscience will do so," he notes.
The youth also refers to Islam and says it enjoins to take care of non-Muslim and his property if there is a war.
The youth says he had witnessed the massacre of Kashmiri Pandits Beerwah village in 1997. "Those Kashmiri Pandits who were killed were neither stopping any movement nor torturing any Kashmiri Muslim of the area. A Kashmiri Pandit headmaster was killed and he was replaced by a non-qualified Muslim youth," he said.
He says that the so-called armed resistance happens with those having guns and Kashmiri Pandits were unarmed.
Himanta Biswa Sarma's tweet came in response to a tweet by actor Adil Hussain.
Hussain also referred to the film "The Kashmir Files' and said, "Truth must be spoken! No doubt about it. But must be spoken Tenderly. Else purpose of speaking the truth loses its beauty. And the impact is reactive. Not responsive."
"We, for sure, don't want to fuel a reactive society but nourish a responsible one. Art Should not be reactive," he added.
The movie, which had released in theatres on March 11, stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumaar and others.
It revolves around the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 and has been directed by Vivek Agnihotri, known for films like 'Tashkent Files', 'Hate Story' and 'Buddha in a Traffic Jam'.
( With inputs from ANI )
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