Kashmiri vendors in Delhi live in fear amid rising hate attacks
Threats, assaults force them to avoid hostile areas
New Delhi: Kashmiri handicraft vendors working in New Delhi say rising anti-Muslim and anti-Kashmiri hostility has left them living in constant fear of attacks and lynching, even as economic hardship compels them to continue working outside the Valley.
According to Kashmir Media Service, around 50 Kashmiri street vendors gather daily near Golcha Cinema before heading out to sell handicrafts. They said the atmosphere has become increasingly hostile since 2014, with hate incidents and anti-Kashmiri stereotypes affecting their livelihoods.
The vendors, who travel to different parts of India from November to March to earn a living during Kashmir’s harsh winters, said they now restrict their activities to Muslim-majority areas and locations they know well, avoiding areas where right-wing groups are active.
They said attacks intensified following the 2019 Pulwama incident, while incidents during India-Pakistan cricket matches, Hindu festivals and disputes over pro-India slogans continue to fuel insecurity.
Recent reports of Kashmiri vendors being abused and assaulted in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have further heightened their fears in Delhi.
“Every time we hear about incidents like these, our minds and hearts are filled with fear, and we are discouraged to go out and do business,” the vendors said.
Seventy-one-year-old Gul Mohammad Mir from Pahalgam said such incidents “send shivers down our spine.”
The vendors said little has been done on part of the IIOJK administration to ensure the safety of Kashmiris working and studying outside the Valley.
