Kashmiri shawl sellers slapped in Mussoorie, forced to shut shop

Dehradun: Two Kashmiri shawl sellers were slapped by a group of local men and forced to shut their shop in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie. The attack took place on Tuesday, April 29.

A video went viral on social media showing the assault on the Kashmiris. They were abused and slapped repeatedly by three persons led by a bearded man and were asked to wind up and pack off. They were slapped a few times more after one of them produced an Aadhar card establishing his identity as an inhabitant of Jammu and Kashmir.

DGP Deepam Seth said the three men who slapped the shawl vendors have been arrested.

Jammu and Kashmir Students Association national convenor Nasir Khuehami said, “We received deeply disturbing and chilling reports from Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, where members of the Bajrang Dal brutally assaulted two Kashmiri shawl sellers.

“Also, around 16 other Kashmiri traders, mostly from the Kupwara district, have been threatened, harassed, and forcibly evicted from their rented accommodations,” he said.

Many of them have been doing business and selling shawls in Mussoorie for years, contributing to the local economy and living peacefully within the community, he said.

Attackers apologise

The three men apologised for their actions and promised they would not repeat such conduct in the future, Khuehami said, adding that legal proceedings are being initiated against them under the Police Act.

The accused were identified as Suraj Singh, a resident of Post Kempty, Tehri Garhwal; Pradeep Singh, a resident of Hathipaon, Mussoorie; and Abhishek Uniyal, a resident of Company Garden, Mussoorie.

Around 16 Kashmiri shawl sellers from Mussoorie have now returned to the Kashmir valley, Khuehami said.

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Very disturbing: Mirwaiz Farooq

Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday, April 30, said the assault on Kashmiri shawl sellers was very disturbing.

“The physical and verbal assault on Kashmiri shawl sellers in Mussoorie, who had to flee when police refused to guarantee their safety, is very disturbing. After large-scale detentions, demolition of homes, and crackdowns inside Kashmir, ordinary citizens, students, and small traders outside of J-K are being attacked and forced to return,” the Mirwaiz said in a post on X.

He was referring to incidents of harassment of Kashmiris working in other states, including Uttarakhand, in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack last week.

“Being themselves at the receiving end of all forms of violence and subsequent suffering for decades, Kashmiris’ condemnation, empathy, and grief for the victims of the Pahalgam bloodbath is straight from the heart, yet they are being vilified and targeted,” he said.

“I appeal to the people of India not to fall prey to hatred and media propaganda creating mistrust of Kashmiris, and reciprocate in ensuring their safety, as they have always done in times of crisis towards all visitors and tourists,” he added.

The Mirwaiz said the “collective punishment” being meted out to Kashmiris both inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir is “unjust and inhuman”.

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