Mussoorie, Uttarakhand: In a disturbing incident from Mussoorie, two Kashmiri shawl vendors were violently attacked by alleged members of the Bajrang Dal, prompting at least 16 other traders to flee the hill town fearing further violence.
A video of the incident was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Nasir Khuehami, national convener of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association. In the now-viral clip, some men can be seen hurling communal slurs, demanding identity cards, and physically assaulting the vendors. One of the aggressors could he heard saying, "Dobaraa yahaan dikhna nahi, nahi toh kaat doonga yahin (Don't show your face here again, or I'll cut you right here)."
Most of the traders, reportedly from Kupwara district, have been selling shawls in the region for years and were abruptly forced to leave behind stock worth lakhs of rupees.
Have a look at the video here:
Traders Forced Out, Police Accused of Inaction
Khuehami, in his X post, claimed that the Mussoorie police, instead of providing protection, advised the Kashmiri traders to vacate their accommodations and exit the state immediately due to "rising threats" following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
“They were reportedly asked by the Mussoorie Police themselves to vacate the area and leave the state immediately, effectively abandoning their livelihoods,” he said in his tweet. One vendor told the association that they had to leave goods worth Rs 30 lakh behind.
Though the police maintain that eviction was not mandated, they acknowledged advising those without registration or police verification to cooperate with ongoing drives targeting unregistered outsiders, as per a report by The Indian Express. The Dehradun Police also confirmed that an organisation called Karni Sena had held an anti-Kashmiri rally recently, which they claim was “strictly dealt with.”
Three Bajrang Dal Members Arrested, Released Later
The Dehradun Police, on April 29, shared a photo of three arrested individuals, identified as Suraj Singh, Pradeep Singh, and Abhishek Uniyal, all said to be affiliated with the Bajrang Dal.
They were booked under Section 81 of the Uttarakhand Police Act for disorderly conduct. However, they were later released after apologising.
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