Ground Zero
It is easy to spot from a distance the curtains drawn on the windows. Many two-bedroom flats have their doors locked from the outside. The buzz of residents that should surround the 14 three-storey towers is missing at the protected Sheikhpora transit Pandit colony in Budgam, bordering the posh colonies of Srinagar. The families of around 300 Kashmiri Pandits, who returned to the Valley and took up government jobs after being forced to migrate two decades ago, live in these flats.
The anxiety of the residents is palpable. The additional security personnel, stationed at strategically located watch towers, have become more vigilant. Glittering spools of concertina wires have been placed on top of the walls of the towers. The only Muslims who regularly enter the premises are well-known milkmen and vegetable vendors. No unknown person from outside is allowed inside any more. Around 30 Muslim students, tutored privately by Pandit teachers, have stopped visiting the colony.
