‘This is Uttarakhand, you cannot speak Kashmiri’: Two teenage shawl hawker brothers attacked by shopkeeper in Dehradun; one suffers fractures and head injuries | Dehradun News
DEHRADUN: Objecting to two teen shawl hawkers — a 17-year-old boy and his brother, 18 — from Kashmir’s Kupwara speaking in their native language in Uttarakhand, a shopkeeper along with three others, including a woman, in Dehradun on Wednesday allegedly passed communal remarks and then brutally assaulted them with rods and canes, leaving the younger sibling with a head injury and a fractured shoulder.J&K CM Omar Abdullah on Thursday took up the “assault” case with Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami urging him to take strict action against perpetrators. The main accused was arrested later in the day, as per police.Narrating the horrific incident, Mohammed Danish, the elder sibling, said, “Calling it a day, we went to a grocery shop to buy some snacks in the evening. After paying the amount, we left the place while chatting in Kashmiri. Then, suddenly, a shopkeeper came out and asked for our names and our native place. To our shock, he started abusing us when he learnt that we were Kashmiri Muslims, and said, ‘You people did the Pahalgam attack'”.Danish added: “Soon after, he was joined by at least three others. They repeatedly beat us, in which (younger sibling) Mohammed Tavish suffered injuries to his head and a fracture to his left shoulder.” Witnessing the commotion and Tavish’s injuries, some locals intervened and took them to a health centre.Based on the complaint (by Danish), a case was registered on Wednesday night under BNS sections 117 (2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) against two unidentified persons. SSP Dehradun Ajai Singh said, “Prime accused Sanjay Yadav, who was detained for questioning, has been arrested. CCTV footage is being examined and we’re also speaking to witnesses.“SSP (Vikasnagar) Shishupal Rana said the brothers were called to the local police station to record their statements. “Based on their statements, we’ll add more sections, if required. A thorough probe is on.” Danish’s cousin, Mohammed Shafi, meanwhile, told TOI their family travels to HP’s Paonta Sahib every winter and had arrived in Dehradun to sell shawls. “They went to Vikasnagar area where it all happened. Tavish bled profusely from the head and was provided seven stitches. They were told, ‘This is Uttarakhand, you cannot speak Kashmiri’… Our family back home is very worried for our safety,” said Shafi.Meanwhile, the J&K CM said Dhami assured him that the safety of J&K residents will be ensured. “Recent attacks, including in HP, and now this one are unacceptable and must stop. It can’t be claimed that J&K is an inalienable part of India while people from Kashmir, in other parts of the country, live in fear for their lives. My govt will step in where ever necessary,” CM Omar said, adding, “I hope the Union home ministry will sensitise other states on the issue.“Raising the issue with Uttarakhand authorities on Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association convenor, Nasir Khuehami, said, “This is a chilling reminder of how communal profiling, intimidation and mob brutality are being normalised against communities trying to earn a dignified livelihood during harsh winter months.”Uttarakhand has witnessed at least three such incidents in the past two months. On Dec 24 last year, a 28-year-old Kashmiri vendor was assaulted in US Nagar district, in which three were held. On Jan 18, another vendor was allegedly assaulted in Almora. Earlier, last April, two more vendors were assaulted in Mussoorie. In the 2025 Pahalgam attack, Pak-backed terrorists targeted Hindu tourists and shot dead 25 of them along with a Kashmiri Muslim pony ride operator.Speaking on the incidents related to Kashmiris in Uttarakhand, inspector general (law and order) Sunil Kumar Meena told TOI, “Police from headquarters have given directions to all the districts at regular intervals on the safety and security of people from Kashmir and the Northeast. We also maintain a record of them living in Uttarakhand to offer timely help, if needed.”(With inputs from Naseer Ganai in Srinagar)
