“Bakshi Hatao”: A fall triggered by whispers, relics, and an unforgiving crowd

Mohammad Muzaffar Khan

“Bakshi Hatao” was not just a slogan muttered in anger on the streets of Kashmir; it was the culminating cry of a complex political drama that unfolded across Srinagar and New Delhi, ultimately consuming one of Kashmir’s most powerful and controversial leaders Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad.

The story of how this slogan came to define an era begins not with public protest, but with a secret meeting in 1961, in the quiet warmth of a summer evening.

Mirza Ghulam Mohammad Beg, the last Zaildar of Anantnag and uncle of Mirza Afzal Beg, arrived quietly to meet Bakshi with explosive news: several of Sheikh Abdullah’s longtime associates G.M. “Chickcen,” Ghulam Rasool Mir, and others were prepared to sever their ties with the Sher-e-Kashmir. They sought only two things in return: Delhi’s silent approval and their removal from the list of the accused in the Kashmir Conspiracy Case. Bakshi, delighted by what he saw as a major strategic advantage, promptly facilitated route permits for them through Transport Commissioner S.K. Raina. For him, this was the beginning of a new political alignment.

Buoyed by this development, Bakshi travelled to New Delhi, expecting Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to greet his news with enthusiasm. But when he walked out of Teen Murti Bhavan that day, he was a transformed man: crestfallen, silent, and shaken. The family scion who accompanied him recalled that Nehru, upon hearing that Abdullah’s men were ready to abandon him, flew into a rare and furious rage. Instead of celebrating the political opportunity, Nehru accused Bakshi of dangerous scheming, ending with a chilling rebuke: “Enough of these machinations. It is better to kill him; why don’t you stab or poison him? Don’t come to me with such absurd ideas.”

Bakshi descended the stairs in stunned silence. Only later, whispering over a glass of water, he muttered to the scion: “They are one. Only I am the stranger.” It was at that moment that the political tremor that would become “Bakshi Hatao” first shook the floor beneath his feet.

Behind Nehru’s fury lay deeper anxieties. In his final years, Nehru was quietly preparing the political ascent of his only child, Indira Priyadarshini Nehru. She had already been made Congress President, and the road to the prime ministership was slowly being laid.

Bakshi, speaking perhaps too candidly, once advised Nehru against ushering Indira into such a demanding and punishing political life advice that, when it reached Indira’s ears, sparked what many later viewed as the beginning of Mission “Bakshi Hatao.” From that moment onward, Bakshi’s political footing eroded steadily.

The real collapse, however, came with the disappearance of the sacred relic from Hazratbal on 27 December 1963. Kashmir erupted with an intensity unseen since 1931; the public grief and rage were seismic. The very people who had once praised or tolerated Bakshi now turned against him. When he rushed to Srinagar to help manage the crisis, an enraged crowd in Lal Chowk hurled a kangri at him, a symbolic act signaling that the masses no longer accepted his authority.

In Delhi too, the ground was shifting. G.M. Sadiq’s circle gained Indira Gandhi’s confidence, Bakshi’s growing proximity to opposition leaders like Morarji Desai, and the political establishment began viewing him as a liability rather than an asset.

The slogan “Bakshi Hatao” now became unavoidable, a chant not only on the streets of Kashmir but within the decision-making rooms of Delhi.

Bakshi’s downfall was swift. He was arrested and taken poignantly to the same sub-jail where he had once confined Sheikh Abdullah in 1953, the leader whom he had once proclaimed as the “sixth denominator of my faith.” When his health deteriorated, he was shifted to AIIMS in New Delhi, far from the political empire he had once commanded.

Thus, “Bakshi Hatao” stands today as a prism through which an entire political epoch can be understood: the breakdown of old loyalties, the tightening grip of central authority, the emergence of dynastic politics, the shifting loyalties of Kashmir’s elite, and the volatile force of popular sentiment. It captures the rise and fall of a man who once dominated Kashmir’s political landscape, only to find himself overtaken by forces far larger than him , Delhi’s dynastic designs, Kashmir’s erupting anger, and the irreversible tide of history.

In the end, “Bakshi Hatao” was not a slogan shouted at Bakshi alone. It was history’s verdict on the contradictions of his time—a moment when power, ambition, faith, and fate collided, leaving behind a story that still echoes across Kashmir’s political memory.

The saga of “Bakshi Hatao” teaches that power is fragile, loyalty is fleeting, and public trust can outweigh authority. Ambition without prudence, misreading central authority, or ignoring the people’s sentiment can topple even the most dominant leader. In politics, timing, alliances, and popular support are everything.

 

Author Mohmad Muzaffar Khan is a Srinagar based scholar and media professional with a postgraduate degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. With seven years of experience as an active political writer, he has developed a strong reputation for analytical depth, clarity of thought, and a nuanced understanding of socio-political issues. He can be mailed at   Muzaffar.khn2010@gmail.com