A Poet, Philosopher, and Social Reformer Pandit Swarnanand Premi was a renowned scholar, poet, and Gandhian thinker who dedicated his life to the spiritual and literary development of Kashmir. An accomplished writer, he had translated sacred texts such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and the works of Rabindranath Tagore into Kashmiri, making these classics accessible to the local population. His poetry often emphasized unity, peace, and the preservation of Kashmir’s composite culture.

Premi was also a respected freedom fighter during India’s independence movement. He firmly believed in secularism and communal harmony, and despite the rising tide of Islamic extremism in the late 1980s, he refused to leave his ancestral home in Soaf Shali, Anantnag. The Night of Horror: His Brutal Killing On the night of April 30, 1990, armed terrorists stormed his house and dragged him and his son, Virendra Koul, out of their home. They were taken to a secluded spot, where they were tortured for hours. The terrorists gouged out their eyes, broke their limbs, and subjected them to inhuman brutality before hanging their bodies from a tree.

The next morning, their mutilated bodies were discovered, sending shockwaves through the Kashmiri Pandit community. His murder was a deliberate attempt to eliminate intellectual voices that promoted peace and cultural integrity. His Legacy His literary contributions, including translations of Hindu scriptures, remain a treasure for Kashmiri heritage. His brutal murder stands as a testimony to the horrors faced by Kashmiri Pandits in the 1990s. His faith in secularism and his refusal to abandon Kashmir despite death threats make him an icon of resilience.