Jammu, Jan 29: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday spoke to Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami, raising the issue of the alleged assault on a Kashmiri shawl seller and seeking action against those responsible.
An 18-year-old Kashmiri youth suffered serious injuries after he was allegedly assaulted by a group of people while he was selling shawls in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun district on Wednesday.
“Chief Minister spoke with the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, regarding the assault on a young Kashmiri shawl seller in Uttarakhand and urged him to take strict action against the perpetrators.
“Dhami assured that strict action, including registration of an FIR, would be taken in the matter and safety of J&K residents will be ensured,” the Office of Chief Minister, J&K, said in a post on X.
Quote-tweeting the post, Abdullah wrote, “This recent series of attacks including in Himachal Pradesh and now this one are unacceptable and must stop. It can’t be claimed that J&K is an inalienable part of India while people from Kashmir, in other parts of the country, live in fear for their lives. My Government will step in where ever necessary & will do whatever is needed to ensure these incidents are not repeated. I hope Home Ministry, Govt of India will also sensitise other states on the same lines.” Earlier, CPI(M) MLA M Y Tarigami and J&K Students Association (JKSA) also expressed anguish over the assault on the Kashmiri youth.
“Another young Kashmiri shawl seller has been brutally attacked in Uttarakhand. These traders travel across India to earn an honest livelihood, yet repeated assaults reveal a disturbing pattern that demands urgent action and accountability,” Tarigami said in a post on X.
National Convenor of J&K Student Association Nasir Khuehami claimed that the victim was first questioned about his identity and “after learning that the family belonged to the Muslim community and hailed from Kashmir, the attackers turned violent.” “Other family members were allegedly dragged, slapped and assaulted during the incident,” Khuehami alleged.
Terming the incident as deeply disturbing, the association called for a strict FIR against all those involved and demanded adequate protection and security for Kashmiri traders, labourers and students in the state.
The association urged Dhami to issue directions to the district police and ensure confidence-building measures to reassure vulnerable communities that the rule of law will prevail over mob prejudice. (Agencies)
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