Kashmiri vendors assaulted in Mussoorie for Pahalgam ‘revenge'

Time of India

30-04-2025

Mussoorie: Two Kashmiri shawl vendors were assaulted by local youths on Mall Road in Mussoorie earlier this week in what they said was "retribution" for the terror attack in Pahalgam. Even as police arrested three men, members of the community said "16 have left the town for safety". The incident came to light after a video emerged on social media, purportedly showing the vendors being slapped and harassed despite presenting their Aadhaar cards to the assailants.
One of the assaulted traders, Shabir Ahmed Dar, who has worked in Mussoorie for 18 years, said 16 of them were forced to leave the hill town and return home. He said goods worth approximately Rs 12 lakh were left behind. Suraj Singh from Post Kempty, Pradeep Singh from Hathipaon, and Abhishek Uniyal from Company Garden have been arrested under section 81 of the Uttarakhand Police Act. They were later fined and released after issuing written apologies.
Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association, posted on social media that the vendors were "brutally assaulted by
Bajrang Dal members
" and 16 other Kashmiri traders, mostly from Kupwara, were "threatened, harassed, and forcibly evicted." He claimed that police had advised them to vacate and that they left goods worth around 30 lakh rupees behind.
Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh "We identified the assaulters and arrested them and filed a case against them. They tendered written apology and promised not to do such acts in the future. We also found the phone numbers of victims, who have since returned to Kupwara in south Kashmir. I called them and assured them that they were free to come to Mussoorie and carry out their business."
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Singh added that there were around 18 Kashmiri traders with permanent shops in Mussoorie and 10–12 seasonal vendors. "They were contacted and all of them told that the atmosphere in Mussoorie was peaceful and they did not have any difficulties here," Singh said. "I also spoke to Kupwara SSP and assured that Kashmiri traders were safe in Mussoorie and can go ahead with their business after police verification."
TOI also spoke to Kashmiri shopkeepers who stayed back. Muhammed Aslam Malik, who has operated his shop since 2019, said, "I am running my shop here since 2019 and have not faced any harassment here." Rajat Aggarwal, president of Mussoorie Traders Association, condemned the attack but called it an isolated incident. "The society of Mussoorie is not aggressive or vindictive," he said.
Mussoorie: Two Kashmiri shawl vendors were assaulted by local youths on Mall Road in Mussoorie earlier this week in what they said was "retribution" for the terror attack in Pahalgam. Even as police arrested three men, members of the community said "16 have left the town for safety". The incident came to light after a video emerged on social media, purportedly showing the vendors being slapped and harassed despite presenting their Aadhaar cards to the assailants.
One of the assaulted traders, Shabir Ahmed Dar, who has worked in Mussoorie for 18 years, said 16 of them were forced to leave the hill town and return home. He said goods worth approximately Rs 12 lakh were left behind. Suraj Singh from Post Kempty, Pradeep Singh from Hathipaon, and Abhishek Uniyal from Company Garden have been arrested under section 81 of the Uttarakhand Police Act. They were later fined and released after issuing written apologies.
Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association, posted on social media that the vendors were "brutally assaulted by Bajrang Dal members" and 16 other Kashmiri traders, mostly from Kupwara, were "threatened, harassed, and forcibly evicted." He claimed that police had advised them to vacate and that they left goods worth around 30 lakh rupees behind.
Dehradun SSP Ajay Singh "We identified the assaulters and arrested them and filed a case against them. They tendered written apology and promised not to do such acts in the future. We also found the phone numbers of victims, who have since returned to Kupwara in south Kashmir. I called them and assured them that they were free to come to Mussoorie and carry out their business."
Singh added that there were around 18 Kashmiri traders with permanent shops in Mussoorie and 10–12 seasonal vendors. "They were contacted and all of them told that the atmosphere in Mussoorie was peaceful and they did not have any difficulties here," Singh said. "I also spoke to Kupwara SSP and assured that Kashmiri traders were safe in Mussoorie and can go ahead with their business after police verification."
TOI also spoke to Kashmiri shopkeepers who stayed back. Muhammed Aslam Malik, who has operated his shop since 2019, said, "I am running my shop here since 2019 and have not faced any harassment here." Rajat Aggarwal, president of Mussoorie Traders Association, condemned the attack but called it an isolated incident. "The society of Mussoorie is not aggressive or vindictive," he said.