Kashmiri Muslim traders forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in Himachal Pradesh
Dharamshala: Two Kashmiri cloth traders from Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir were harassed and forced to chant Hindutva slogans in BJP ruled Himachal Pradesh state.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the incident occurred in Surjanpur village, Hamidpur district, where a woman, identified as the wife of a local sarpanch, threatened the Kashmiri traders and forced them to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
A video of the incident, circulating widely on social media shows the woman threatening the traders, demanding them to either leave the state or chant Jai Shri Ram. She also instructed other villagers to boycott the traders’ businesses.
The woman can be heard saying in the video: “We are Hindus, and we have our own Hindu community selling the same things. We should buy from them. Why would someone, especially Muslims, come from elsewhere to do business here? This is our India; you go back to your Kashmir. We don’t need you here. I will request everyone not to buy anything from you. Just leave.”
She continued to insist that the Kashmiri men either chant the slogan or leave the state. The traders had traveled to Himachal Pradesh to earn their livelihood, a common practice among Kashmiri shawl and dry fruit sellers.
This incident is not the first instance of harassment faced by Kashmiri traders outside the IIOJK, raising concerns about their safety and the growing trend of communal targeting in India.
