DEHRADUN: A 28-year-old Kashmiri shawl seller was allegedly assaulted by a group of men in Kashipur, Udham Singh Nagar district, after they learnt he was from Kashmir and tried to force him to chant a slogan. The incident surfaced on Thursday after a video of the assault went viral on social media.Bilal Ahmed Ganie, a resident of Kupwara, said he has been selling shawls as a hawker in the area for the past eight years and had never faced such a situation earlier. He alleged that on Monday, while moving door to door to sell his wares, he was stopped by five to six men riding motorcycles.“They asked my name and where I was from. When I said Kashmir, they started beating me with kicks and punches. One of them hit my legs with a cane and I fell to the ground. They asked me to say ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. I said I would proudly say ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ as this is our country,” Ganie told TOI. He said that the men tried to force him onto their motorcycle but fled after passersby intervened. Following the incident, Ganie said he and other Kashmiri hawkers in the area have stopped venturing out for work due to fear. “My family is worried and asking me to return, but I first need to recover money from customers who bought goods on credit. I want strict action so this is not repeated with anyone else,” he said.Taking note of the matter, the Jammu & Kashmir Students Association on Thursday, wrote to Uttarakhand DGP Deepam Seth, seeking legal action against those involved and an impartial investigation. JKSA national convenor Nasir Khuehami said the incident had created fear among Kashmiri traders who depend on seasonal work in the region. “Despite the seriousness of the incident, no FIR has been registered so far. Kashmiris are an integral part of the country and are entitled to the same rights and freedoms as any other citizen,” Khuehami said. Meanwhile, US Nagar SSP Manikant Mishra said police had offered assistance to the hawker on the day of the incident and asked him to file a formal complaint. “He then said he did not want an FIR. As per procedure, the accused were summoned, the video was removed from social media and they apologised,” Mishra said. Mishra said that after the video resurfaced online, police again contacted the hawker on Thursday and urged him to lodge a complaint. “Once a complaint is filed, an FIR will be registered and further legal action will follow,” the SSP said.
