Incidents of 'attack' on Kashmiri shawl sellers spark concern

New Delhi, Dec 31 (PTI) Voicing concern over the alleged incidents of attacks and harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in some parts of northern states, leaders and outfits from Jammu and Kashmir have called for coordinated action by the Centre and state governments to ensure the safety and livelihood of migrant traders.

In Haryana’s Kaithal district, police have registered an FIR and launched a manhunt following an assault on a Kashmiri shawl seller, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said on Wednesday.

Kaithal Superintendent of Police Upasana told PTI that the "police have taken suo motu cognisance of the offence and registered an FIR. Further investigation is underway”.

A purported video of the incident, which occurred earlier in the week, surfaced on social media platforms, showing a Kashmiri shawl seller allegedly being forced to chant 'Vande Mataram'.

The Haryana Chief Minister’s Office has assured strict action, saying that harassment or violence against Kashmiri traders would not be tolerated, the association added.

Another incident reported from Fatehabad district is under investigation, the JKSA said.

The Association has also flagged similar incidents from Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, alleging a rise in intimidation, threats and assaults against Kashmiri shawl sellers during the winter trading season.

It claimed that at least 18 such incidents were reported from Himachal Pradesh this year, with several traders forced to leave the state due to fear.

On Monday, the JKSA wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention and urging the Centre to direct states to ensure the safety and dignity of Kashmiri traders working outside the Valley.

"This year alone has witnessed at least 18 incidents of assault, intimidation, and harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Himachal Pradesh," the letter said, adding that in several cases there was "no prompt or effective registration of FIRs, no visible arrests or deterrent measures".

JKSA, a students' body, said that while students remain at the core of its mission, it has taken up issues of migrant workers, traders, shawl sellers, or families in distress.

Reacting to the issue, Kashmir's chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a post on X that continued harassment of Kashmiris was “very disturbing” and called it a basic human rights issue.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Kaithal MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala also expressed concern, alleging that such incidents reflected a wider pattern of targeting people from different regions.

"These are not stray incidents but part of a rot stemming in, where Indians are 'othered', 'attacked', 'targeted', 'killed' in our own country," Surjewala said in a post on X on Tuesday, while referring to other alleged attacks linked to people from different states facing hate crimes.

J-K BJP leader Ravinder Raina said in a post on X, "Home Minister Amit Shah has taken strong notice of the reports of harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers and has passed stern directions to the State Government for action in such matters." PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said last week that there was a growing intolerance in the country and urged the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister to send a ministerial team to different states to ensure the safety of Kashmiris.

“The intolerance in the entire country has increased. Lynchings are taking place. What is happening in Bangladesh pains us, but those who criticise it watch as mute spectators when lynchings take place here,” she told reporters.

Peoples Conference chief and Handwara MLA Sajad Lone also said that the alleged harassment of Kashmiris in some parts of the country should be treated as a matter of national security.

"This behaviour against Kashmiris in the rest of the country should not be taken lightly. This is a matter of national security,” Lone said at a press conference last week, urging the lieutenant governor and chief minister to intervene.

JKSA National Convenor Nasir Khuehami urged prompt registration of cases, arrests of those involved and time-bound deterrent action to prevent further incidents.

"We appeal to the Home Minister Amit Shah, to put an end to this growing pattern of harassment and violence against Kashmiri traders across North India and to ensure the prompt identification and arrest of those responsible, so that a clear and strong deterrent is established," Khuehami said in a post on X.

"We also urge the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, and the chief ministers of Himachal, Haryana and Uttarakhand to intervene immediately," he added. PTI MHS AKV RT