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Tika Lal Taploo: The ‘Kashmir Files’ digs into the first major killing of a Kashmiri Hindu leader Tika Lal Taploo which led to the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. Know who was Tika Lal Taploo and why he became the first target of Kashmiri militants.
Tika Lal Taploo: Early Life
Taploo was born in Srinagar in a Kashmiri Pandit family. He graduated from Panjab University and done his Masters in Arts and LLB from Aligarh Muslim University.
In later life, he practised as an advocate in Jammu and Kashmir High Court and engaged in political activity. He was the vice-president of Bharatiya Janata Party in Jammu and Kashmir[4] and also an active member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He stood for several elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, however he was never elected, reportedly due to the gerrymandering of his electoral constituency. He had a large following as a social and political activist.
Martyrdom:
On September 14, 1989, Tika Lal Taploo became the first target among the many Kashmiri Pandits who were killed by Islamic militants in Jammu & Kashmir during the events of 1989 and 1990. Taploo was brutally murdered at the gunpoint by the Kashmiri terrorists. The killing of the first Kashmiri Pandit Taploo led to the Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus on 19th January 1990. Since then, September 14th has been observed as Martyrdom Day by Kashmiri Pandits and organizations associated with the cause to commemorate the death of Taploo and all those who lost their lives in the valley. The ‘Kashmir Files’ has thrown light on the lives of Kashmiri Pandits who were brutally killed or forced to leave the Kashmir valley. After 32 years since the actual events, the movie revisits the year 1989 when the conflict with Kashmiri militants had erupted in the valley and digs into the reality of the brutal killings based on true events & victims. Among these, the first major killing was of a Kashmiri Hindi leader Tika Lal Taploo.
| Name: | Tika Lal Taploo |
| Born: | 06 October, 1930 – Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Died: | 14 September, 1989 – Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Alma mater: | Panjab University (BA) Aligarh Muslim University (MA, LLB) |
| Spouse: | Sarla Taploo* |
| Known for: | Political activism |
| Political party: | Bharatiya Janata Party |
Who was Tika Lal Taploo?
Born on 6th October 1930, Tika Lal Taploo was a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party and an Indian Advocate in Kashmir High Court. Taploo finished his matriculation from Panjab University in 1945. He did his Masters in Arts (MA) and also earned an LLB from Aligarh Muslim University. In 1957, Taploo had joined the Kashmir Bar Association. In 1971, he joined the Jammu and Kashmir High Court as an Advocate.
He was brutally shot dead at the age of 59 years on September 14, 1989 by Kashmiri militants. India’s then top leaders including LK Advani and others attended his funeral. Amid the disruption caused by the terrorist organization Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus gathered to pay their respects to one of the biggest leaders of Kashmiri Hindus in the valley.
Why did Taploo become the first target of Kashmiri militants?
Taploo’s influence, political alliance, and popularity was unmatched among the Kashmiri Hindus and Muslim communities. He was revered as the most significant Kashmiri Hindu leader in the valley.
Active participation in the protest during the Emergency
Taploo was an active & long-time member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). During the Emergency imposed by the then PM Indira Gandhi in 1975, Taploo led the fight against it in the valley where he participated in the agitation at Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
Popularly Revered as Fearless Leader among Hindus & Muslims in Valley
As a fearless leader, Taploo was actively associated with social work and fighting the fights for common people. Taploo popularly came to be known as Lalaji by the Pashto community and garnered a huge following among Hindus and Muslims. His popularity among the Muslims became a major challenge for the Kashmiri terrorists who were trying to radicalize the Valley in the 1980s.
However, Taploo’s killing came as a horrific blow to the Kashmiri Hindus who had stayed back in the valley. Taploo’s death was a strategic statement by the Kashmiri militants which paved the way towards the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits. Taploo’s death was followed by the killing of Srinagar District Sessions Judge Nilkanth Ganjoo who had sentenced Maqbul Bhat to death by hanging. Bhat was a terrorist and founder of the National Liberation Front.
