Tito Ganju appointed vice chairman of Panun Kashmir

Jammu, Jul 11 (PTI) Panun Kashmir, one of the prominent groups representing the displaced Pandit community, on Friday appointed legal affairs division head Tito Ganju as its vice chairman, a leader said.
    Fifty-five-year-old Ganju will continue to hold his position as the head of the legal affairs division, which has played a pivotal role in shaping the legal and policy direction of the organisation, particularly in areas concerning constitutional safeguards, minority rights, and international advocacy mechanisms, he said.
    General Secretary of Panun Kashmir, Kuldeep Raina, said the organisation’s working committee unanimously passed a resolution for Ganju’s appointment.
    “The decision marks a carefully considered transition within the organisation, firmly rooted in its intellectual legacy yet oriented toward a generational realignment in leadership,” Raina said.
    He said Ganju is a distinguished legal mind, a public intellectual, and one of the most respected voices in the contemporary discourse on genocide recognition, Indic civilisational jurisprudence, and transitional justice.
    A post-exodus Kashmiri Hindu intellectual shaped by exile, resistance, and scholarship, he has contributed consistently and courageously to the cause of his community over the past two decades, Raina said.
    He said one of his most defining contributions was his role as the chairperson of the Drafting Committee of the Panun Kashmir Prevention of Genocide and Atrocities Bill, 2020, a first-of-its-kind legislative proposal in the Indian context that aims to define, document, and seek redressal for the targeted violence and displacement faced by Kashmiri Hindus.
    The bill stands as a cornerstone in the community’s demand for justice, remembrance, and restitution, he said.
    He said Ganju is also the founder chairperson of Jonaraja Institute of Genocide and Atrocities Studies (JIGAS), the first Indian institution dedicated to genocide studies from an Indic perspective.
    Under his leadership, JIGAS introduced a pioneering academic framework that draws from classical dharmic philosophy, historical memory, and modern international law, challenging dominant Western narratives that often overlook indigenous experiences of civilisational trauma, he said.
    He said his work bridges the space between jurisprudence and cultural identity, offering a coherent and scholarly response to one of the most complex injustices in Indian history, the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri Hindus.
    Referring to the appointment of Ganju, he said the baton has not been passed; it has been extended with intention, foresight, and trust.
    “As the movement advances into a more complex and contested arena of political, legal, and cultural struggle, Panun Kashmir under the collective leadership of its seasoned and emerging thinkers appears more prepared than ever to shape the narrative, reclaim justice, and assert historical truth," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)