The tag of “heaven on earth” has been marred with human rights violations and atrocities in Kashmir by the terror factories. The people of Jammu & Kashmir have always aspired, hoped, and prayed for a peaceful existence in the valley. However, the event that took place in the evening of 5th October at around 7: 20 PM, in which we lost an innocent civilian who was a Kashmiri Pandit named Makhan Lal Bindroo, has jolted us, and vitiated the entire peaceful atmosphere of Jammu & Kashmir, once again.
Anybody who would have gone to a doctor in Srinagar and got a prescription would have thought of or would have come across this line – “Ye dawa bane sirf binderes nesh’’ (this medicine will be available only at Bindroo Medicate), as this was the popularity and public reach of Makhan Lal Bindroo, a simple man and a chemist by profession. As the owner of Bindroo Medicate, Makhan Lal Bindroo had a far-reaching impact on the lives of the common Kashmiris that he came in touch with as he would go to extreme lengths to get medicine for the sick and ailing people. He was a simple Kashmiri Pandit, who had to go through the ill-fated times of Kashmir, during the 1980s wherein Kashmir withstood the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in the name of ethnic cleansing. Makhan Lal Bindroo stood strong through those difficult times and did not ever leave Kashmir.
Makhan Lal Bindroo was a philanthropist. The multiple long queues of people that one could witness in front of his pharmacy in Srinagar is a testament to the fact that he was widely respected and revered by the people of Kashmir. Though there were a number of chemist shops and pharmacies in the vicinity of his own, the people of Srinagar, always flocked to his shop for their medical needs. He was an epitome of oneness and unity across the Hindus and the Muslims who always wanted to co-exist and thrive together peacefully. Mr. Bindroo was a man of principles and ensured that his principles were adhered to by his family as well. Therefore, he ensured that his son, who is a qualified doctor from one of the prestigious colleges in Vellore, is able to serve his motherland by providing healthcare facilities to the people of Kashmir. His entire family has been working relentlessly towards augmenting the healthcare facilities in Kashmir and they have provided a lot of aid in the form of free medicines to the poverty stricken in Kashmir.
The cold-hearted killing of Makhan Lal Bindroo in the middle of a hustling and bustling place named Iqbal Park is a direct attack on the efforts being made to restore peace in the valley. This act of opening fire on a good Samaritan, an innocent Kashmiri man, also a Kashmiri Pandit, transpires as an attempt to bring about an era of unrest as it was done in the erstwhile era of 1990s. This kind of a blatant act has been committed as a game plan of instilling fear in the minority community and to destabilise the unity amongst the people of Kashmir. These dark forces, in close to three decades, have not been able to succeed with their evil plans to sabotage Kashmir and therefore are trying all these tactics of unsettling the peace and unity in Kashmir while ushering in an atmosphere of fear.