Jonaraja Institute successfully completes flagship course
Jammu: The Jonaraja Institute of Genocide and Atrocities Studies (JIGAS), an online venture by a group of Kashmiri Pandit intellectuals launched in December 2022, on Tuesday said it has successfully completed its flagship course on the subject.
JIGAS announced the successful completion of its advanced academic program on genocide and atrocities studies, reaffirming its role as a pioneering institution in civilisational “truth-telling and justice-oriented” scholarship, a spokesperson of the institute said.
This year’s graduating cohort comprised youth wing activists of Panun Kashmir (Yuva), who were nominated and sponsored by Panun Kashmir – an organisation of Kashmiri Pandit migrants — to undergo this intensive course.
The programme was conducted under the guidance of Dilip Kaul, one of the foremost genocide scholars in South Asia, with a unique curriculum designed by Tito Ganju, an acknowledged authority in international law, constitutional law, and Indic genocide discourse, the spokesperson said.
Speaking at the valedictory address, JIGAS Chairperson Sunanda Vashisht emphasized that this course represents more than academic achievement, it marks a moral commitment to confronting historical injustice.
“Our students are now custodians of a civilisational memory often neglected in global discourse,” Vashisht said.
The spokesperson said a defining hallmark of the program is its emphasis on the Indic concept of Jatividhwans – a term drawn from ancient Sanskrit chronicles like Rajatarangini, referring to the systematic destruction of a people’s spiritual, cultural, and social identity.
Chairman of Panun Kashmir Ajay Chrungoo emphasized the strategic importance of this course for the community’s younger generation.
“The study of genocide is not a luxury for our community, it is a necessity. For the youth of Panun Kashmir, understanding the concept of Jatividhwans is essential to reclaiming our truth, resisting erasure, and confronting the ongoing denial of our genocide.”
“This course empowers our young activists not only with academic rigour but with moral clarity. It equips them to challenge global double standards, articulate our historical experiences in international forums, and become informed warriors of justice rooted in civilizational awareness,” he said.
The spokesperson said graduates of the programme are now expected to contribute meaningfully in the fields of public policy, transitional justice, academia, and human rights advocacy, armed with critical tools of historical analysis, international law, ethical judgment, and a deep sense of empathy.
With this successful cohort, JIGAS deepens its commitment to producing thought leaders who will not only preserve memory but challenge silence, and who will illuminate suppressed histories with courage and conviction, the spokesperson added.
