Kashmiri shawl sellers flee Uttarakhand after attacks
Mirwaiz terms attacks on Kashmiris ‘collective punishment’
Srinagar: At least 16 Kashmiri shawl vendors have left Mussoorie in haste following an attack on two of their fellow tradesmen, sparking concerns over the safety in the popular tourist hill town of Dehradun district of Uttarakhand, India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the assault, captured on video and widely circulated on social media, shows a group of men repeatedly beating and abusing two vendors on Mall Road. The attackers, allegedly local Hindutva goons, also demanded identity proofs and ordered the Kashmiris to leave the area.
Mussoorie police confirmed that that three of the attackers were identified as —Suraj Singh, Pradeep Singh and Abhishek Uniyal, belonging to the Bajrang Dal.
The victims, including 36-year-old Shabir Ahmed Dar from Kupwara, said they had been visiting Mussoorie during summers for nearly two decades without facing hostility. “We have lived near the mosque and worked here for 18 years. Our families have known the locals for a long time,” Dar said. “But no one defended us when we were attacked. That night, around 11 pm, police told us they could not help and warned that there were threats against Kashmiris. We were advised to leave for our safety.”
Another vendor, 30-year-old Javed Ahmed, said they left behind merchandise worth Rs 12 lakh in Mussoorie and are uncertain when they might return. “Our fathers sold shawls in this town for years,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has expressed deep concern over the mounting assaults on Kashmiri shawl vendors inside India, particularly in Mussoorie, stating that they had to flee the town after police refused to guarantee their safety.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mirwaiz described the incident as “very disturbing” and linked it to a broader pattern of targeting Kashmiris across India.
“The physical and verbal assault on Kashmiri shawl vendors in Mussoorie, who had to flee when police refused to guarantee their safety, is very disturbing,” Mirwaiz posted.
He added that such attacks are happening against the backdrop of increased crackdowns in the Kashmir Valley. “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,” he said.
“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.
Mirwaiz appealed to the people of India to reject hate and divisive narratives. “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,” he stated.
He concluded his post by terming the situation as deeply unfair. “The collective punishment being meted out to them both inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir is unjust and inhuman,” he said.
