In a continued hate crime against Kashmiri vendors, a man from the region was brutally assaulted and threatened in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district. The victim, identified as Bilal Ahmed Ganie of Kupwara, Kashmir, is a labourer and seasonal shawl vendor in Uttarakhand.
Bringing the issue to light, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Thursday wrote to the Director General of Police, Uttarakhand, Deepam Seth, expressing their “deep anguish and grave concern” over the incident.
According to them, Ganie was brutally assaulted, threatened and forcibly intimidated by a group of Bajrang Dal activists, reportedly led by one of its leaders, Ankur Singh.
National Convenor of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that despite his long-standing presence and peaceful conduct, Ganie was brutally assaulted, his stock of shawls was looted, he was threatened with death, and was asked to vacate the area and leave the state immediately, thereby being forced to abandon his livelihood.
“Such acts have created an atmosphere of fear and terror not only for the victim but also for other Kashmiri traders who depend on seasonal work in the region,” he said in a statement.
The victim has already filed a complaint at Pratapur, Goshala Police Chowki.
“Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in Kashmir than incidents like these,” the Association said.
The Association noted that such acts of violence, intimidation and communal hatred strike at the very foundations of the rule of law and the democratic ethos of the nation.
The Association requested the personal intervention of the Uttarakhand DGP to ensure that the victim’s complaint is immediately taken cognizance of, “that an FIR is registered without any further delay, that a fair and impartial investigation is carried out, that the culprits involved are promptly identified and arrested, and that adequate protection is provided to the victim and other Kashmiri traders so that they may live and work without fear in Uttarakhand”.
In recent months, several Kashmiri shawl sellers travelling outside the Valley for seasonal business have reported harassment and physical assaults by members of Hindu right-wing organisations.
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