J&K Students Association Writes to Uttarakhand DGP, Seeks FIR and Arrest of Bajrang Dal Activists for Assault on Kashmiri Shawl Seller in Udhamsingh Nagar

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Thursday has written to the Director General of Police, Uttarakhand, Deepam Seth, expressing deep anguish and grave concern over a deeply disturbing and chilling incident reported from Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, where a Kashmiri shawl seller was brutally assaulted, threatened and forcibly intimidated by a group of Bajrang Dal activists, reportedly led by one of its leaders, Ankur Singh.

In its letter, the Association said that the victim has been identified as Bilal Ahmed Ganie of Kupwara, Kashmir, a labourer and seasonal shawl vendor in Uttarakhand. The Association said that he is not a newcomer to the area and has been selling shawls in Udham Singh Nagar for the past 9–10 years, living peacefully within the local community and earning his livelihood with dignity and hard work.

National Convenor of the Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that despite his long-standing presence and peaceful conduct, Mr. Ganie was brutally assaulted, his stock of shawls was looted, he was threatened with death, and was asked to vacate the area and leave the state immediately, thereby being forced to abandon his livelihood and dignity. He said that such acts have created an atmosphere of fear and terror not only for the victim but also for other Kashmiri traders who depend on seasonal work in the region.

Khuehami further informed that the victim has already filed a complaint at Pratapur, Goshala Police Chowki. However, despite the seriousness of the matter and the vulnerability of the victim, no action has been initiated so far and, to the best of the Association’s knowledge, no FIR has been registered. He said that this inaction has only emboldened the culprits and deepened the sense of insecurity and helplessness among the victim and the wider Kashmiri community.

Khuehami asserted that Kashmiris are not outsiders in India but equal citizens and an integral part of the country, entitled to the same rights, freedoms and protections as any other Indian under the Constitution. He said that targeting innocent Kashmiri traders and forcing them out of cities only deepens alienation and mistrust, and plays into the hands of hostile forces that seek to sow division and weaken India’s social fabric. “Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in Kashmir than incidents like these,” the Association said.

The Association noted that such acts of violence, intimidation and communal hatred strike at the very foundations of the rule of law and the democratic ethos of the nation. India’s strength lies in its unity in diversity, and any assault on that spirit is an assault on the nation itself. The Association said that the rule of law must prevail and those who take it into their own hands must be dealt with strictly.

The Association requested the personal intervention of the Uttarakhand DGP to ensure that the victim’s complaint is immediately taken cognizance of, that an FIR is registered without any further delay, that a fair and impartial investigation is carried out, that the culprits involved are promptly identified and arrested, and that adequate protection is provided to the victim and other Kashmiri traders so that they may live and work without fear in Uttarakhand.

The Association said it hopes that the Uttarakhand Police will take urgent and decisive action in the matter and uphold the faith of the victim and the wider community in the police and the justice delivery system.