On the haunting night of 19 Jan 1990, in the wake of the rising insurgency in the valley lacs of Kashmiri Pandits were driven out of their homeland. While many of the Pandits were brutally murdered in broad daylight, most of the families were forced to go into exile after the fateful night who then never returned to their ancestral homes fearing of their lives from extremists. At the onset of terrorism in 1989-90 in the valley, when Kashmiri Pandits faced the darkest period of their lives, Pandit Prem Nath Bhat, a visionary and a nationalist, was killed by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir.

 

Kashmiri Pandit community observes the 27th of December as Chetna Divas every year in memory of the late Prem Nath Bhat and other martyrs of the period.

 

Born in 1932 in a middle-class family, Pandit Prem Nath Bhat was popularly known as ‘Bhat Sahab’. When young, he studied at Amar Singh College and S P College of Srinagar and actively participated in debates and social work. As he came in contact with intellects such as Amar Nath Ganjoo, Pushkar Nath Karnail, Jia Lal Kaul, and others, he further developed an interest in social work and thus served the needy, be it Hindu or Muslim. He spent ten percent of his professional income towards charity and along with his team also selflessly fed hundreds of families. As a philanthropist, he was mostly known for his wisdom and sharp mindedness.

 

During 1989-90, when anti-national activities were at their peak in the valley and atrocities on Pandits of the valley knew no bounds, Prem Nath Bhat was advised to leave the land even by his Muslim well-wishers. However, as brave as he was, Bhat did not pay much heed to such warnings and threats and thus, lastly paid a huge price for his fondness for his homeland.