The Uttarakhand Police have since registered a First Information Report (FIR) and stated that investigations are underway.
18-year-old shawl seller Tabish Ahmed from the Valley was brutally assaulted in the Vikasnagar area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on Wednesday.
Srinagar: Leaders across Jammu and Kashmir strongly condemned the alleged mob attack on a young Kashmiri shawl seller in Uttarakhand, terming the incident disturbing and reflective of a growing pattern of hostility faced by Kashmiris in different parts of the country. The assault, which left the victim with multiple fractures and serious head injuries, has triggered widespread political reactions and renewed calls for strict action against those responsible.
According to reports, Tabish Ahmad (18), a shawl vendor from Kashmir, was allegedly attacked by a group of people in the Vikas Nagar area of Uttarakhand on January 28 while he was selling shawls along with his brother. Visuals of the injured youth, showing bloodstains and head injuries, went viral on social media, sparking outrage and concern over the safety of Kashmiri traders and students outside the Union Territory.
Following the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah raised the matter with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday, seeking immediate intervention and justice for the victim. The Uttarakhand Police have since registered a First Information Report (FIR) and stated that investigations are underway.
“This recent series of attacks earlier in Himachal Pradesh and now in Uttarakhand is completely unacceptable and must stop,” Omar Abdullah said. “It cannot be claimed that Jammu and Kashmir is an inalienable part of India while people from Kashmir live in fear for their lives in other parts of the country.”
The Chief Minister assured that the J&K government would intervene wherever necessary to ensure the safety and dignity of its citizens working or studying outside the Union Territory. He also urged the Union Home Ministry to sensitise state governments to prevent such incidents in the future.
The issue was also taken up by the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), a pan-India body that documents incidents of harassment against Kashmiris. JKSA national convenor Nasir Khuehami said the Association spoke to Uttarakhand Director General of Police Deepam Seth, who assured that the matter was being taken seriously and that stringent legal action had been initiated against those involved.
Meanwhile, Mirwaiz-eKashmir Molvi Umar Farooq expressed grave concern over what he described as a “disturbing pattern” of attacks on Kashmiris outside the region. Addressing the Friday congregation at Jama Masjid in Srinagar, the Mirwaiz strongly condemned the assault on Tabish Ahmad and his brother Danish, alleging that they were beaten with iron rods, leaving them critically injured.
“These incidents reflect communal profiling and rising intolerance against ordinary Kashmiris who go outside the state only to earn a livelihood or pursue education,” the Mirwaiz said. He warned that such attacks were creating a climate of fear among Kashmiri students, traders and labourers across the country.
He further pointed out that similar incidents have recently been reported from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, calling upon the central and state governments to ensure the safety, security and dignity of Kashmiris living outside Jammu and Kashmir.
The incident has once again brought into focus concerns over the protection of migrant workers and traders, with political leaders, civil society groups and student organisations demanding swift arrests, strict punishment, and concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.
