Amid growing intolerance toward dissenting voices, the organization of Kashmiri Pandits Panun Kashmir at the behest of India’s Hindutva regime has expelled its leader Ajay Chrungoo after he openely criticized the Modi government for politically exploiting the Pandit community for power politics. According to Kashmir Media Service, Chrungoo had publicly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Narendra Modi government for exploiting Kashmiri Pandits for Hindu votes.

His expulsion highlights growing tensions between the organization and dissenting voices within the Kashmiri Pandit community. Following Chrungoo’s removal, Tito Ganju, a hardline figure advocating armed training and a militarized Pandit homeland in Kashmir, was appointed as his replacement, signaling a further shift toward radicalization within the organization under political influence.

Observers noted that the Modi-led Hindutva regime sought to suppress Chrungoo’s dissent by promoting an unfounded narrative linking him to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, in Indian media outlets. Analysts say this tactic was designed to divert attention from the political consequences of his criticism and intimidate other voices willing to challenge the ruling party’s communal and electoral strategies. 

Rights activists warned that the expulsion highlights the shrinking space for independent thought among Kashmiri Pandit leaders and underscores the Modi government’s determination to control narratives around Kashmir, even at the cost of silencing its own community’s leaders. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)