Srinagar, Dec 25 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Thursday wrote to Uttarakhand's Director General of Police, Deepam Seth, regarding a severe incident in Kashipur.
The letter details an alleged violent assault on a Kashmiri shawl seller, who was allegedly beaten, threatened, and intimidated by a group in Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), JKSA said, “A disturbing and chilling incident was 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.”
The association in a letter has said that the victim has been identified as Bilal Ahmed Ganie of Kupwara, Kashmir, a labourer and seasonal shawl vendor in Uttarakhand.
JKSA 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, “Despite his long-standing presence and peaceful conduct, 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 JKSA’s knowledge, no FIR has been registered.”
He said, “This inaction has only emboldened the culprits and deepened the sense of insecurity and helplessness among the victim and the wider Kashmiri community.”
JKSA in the letter has requested for the personal intervention of the Uttarakhand DGP to take cognizance of the victim’s complaint immediately. “FIR should be registered without any further delay and a fair and impartial investigation is carried out.”—(KNO)