SRINAGAR, (PTK): Sporadic incidents of violence and alleged harassment against the Kashmiris were reported across India on Saturday in the aftermath of the dastardly Pulwama attack.
A few Kashmiri youth studying in various parts of India, earlier in the day, alleged that they were harassed in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.
To this end, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and sought his intervention to ensure safety of Kashmiri students and traders in various parts of the country.
“I took the opportunity to inform Rajnath Singh Sb of the reports I had received of Kashmiri students & others being threatened/harassed and requested him to appoint a nodal officer in HMO India to ensure the directive issued to states is followed in letter & spirit (sic),” he wrote on Twitter.
A shutdown was observed in Lal Chowk city centre and adjoining areas in Srinagar on Saturday as a mark of protest against attacks on Kashmiris in Jammu and outside the state.
Shopkeepers in Lal Chowk, Maisuma, Residency Road and other adjoining areas downed their shutters at 3 pm in response to a shutdown called by trade bodies of the Valley earlier in the day.
The traders also took out a protest march to condemn the attacks on Kashmiris in Jammu and other parts of the country. They demanded safety of Kashmiri traders and students outside the Valley.
Dehradun
The Dehradun police assured its Jammu and Kashmir counterpart of taking all necessary measures for the safety and security of Kashmiri students studying there amidst allegation of their harassment.
A few Kashmiri youth studying in the Uttarakhand capital had alleged that they were harassed and were asked by their landlords to vacate accommodations fearing attacks on their properties.
“This refers to the circulation of news regarding the harassment of Kashmir-based students in Dehradun. In this regard it is informed that the authorities from Jammu and Kashmir Police have spoken to the authorities concerned in Dehradun Police,” a police spokesperson said here.
Meanwhile, a Kashmiri student was booked for allegedly sending WhatsApp messages supporting the Pulwama suicide attack, amid reports that students from the Valley were being harassed in the Uttarakhand capital.
The messages shared by the Kashmiri student on WhatsApp created tension and some right-wing Hindu outfits gheraoed the university, demanding immediate arrest of the student. The student was suspended by a private university in Dehradun on Friday.
In view of the sensitivity of the Pulwama incident, ADG law and order Ashok Kumar has appealed to people to maintain calm and not to take law into their hands.
Ambala
A village panchayat in Ambala asked villagers to evict Kashmiri students living in rented accommodation within 24 hours, according to a video that has surfaced on social media.
Half a dozen Kashmiri students were shifted to the hostel of the MM University after the purported video appeared.
In the video, Mulana village sarpanch Naresh Rana could be heard asking villagers to evict Kashmiri tenants.
The village head alleged that some Kashmiri students were involved in “suspicious activities”.
“The villagers have been asked to vacate Kashmiri students from the rented accommodation… In case it is not done the person in whose residence such students are living will be considered as a traitor,” the sarpanch is heard saying.
Bengaluru
A Kashmiri youth was booked for allegedly posting derogatory remarks on a social networking site.
Following a complaint by Vishwa Hindu Parishad office bearer Girish Bharadwaj, a case was registered here Friday against Abid Malik under relevant sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967, for a post he wrote on Facebook.
The youth allegedly shared some images posted by a news channel after the attack and captioned it ‘The real surgical attack’ on his FB page, police said.
Following the complaint, Facebook deleted his account.
(With inputs from agencies)
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