After the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, there seems to be a disturbing surge in reports of assaults of Kashmiri people around the country. Most recently, 16 Kashmiri shawl vendors left Mussoorie after two of their fellow traders were apparently attacked by local miscreants.
After two Kashmiri shawl vendors were allegedly assaulted by locals in Mussoorie on April 23, police reported that at least 16 traders left the area and returned to Kashmir due to the ugly incident. Three locals have been held by police, following the incident.
Suraj Singh of Post Kempty (Tehri Garhwal), Pradeep Singh of Hathipaon (Mussoorie), and Abhishek Uniyal of Company Garden (Mussoorie) have been charged in accordance with the relevant sections of the Police Act, and action will be taken against them. The three men admit to their involvement, have apologised publicly, and have vowed not to engage in such behaviour in the future.
Update from Mussoorie Uttrakhand:
Upon raising the matter, DGP Uttarakhand, Deepam Seth Sahab informed me that the Uttarakhand Police had taken cognizance of the incident involving the assault on Kashmiri shawl vendors by three youths on Mall Road. The incident happened two days… https://t.co/UsfWbKoKOR pic.twitter.com/LpmDEOMz44---Advertisement---— Nasir Khuehami (ناصر کہویہامی) (@NasirKhuehami) April 29, 2025
According to Mussoorie police, the incident occurred on Mall Road, when a group of locals confronted two Kashmiri vendors selling shawls and clothes, demanded to see identification, and asked the vendors to leave. A video of the incident that has since gone viral shows the locals verbally abusing and physically attacking the vendors.
Shabir Ahmed Dar, one of the vendors from Kupwara, said he and other traders have been visiting Mussoorie in summer and Dehradun in winter for 18 years. “We live near the mosque and are familiar with many people here. The men who attacked us were locals who’ve seen us before. Still, no one stepped in to help. In Kashmir, many outsiders work, and we’ve never mistreated anyone,” said Dar, 36.
He added that police visited their accommodation around 11 pm that night. “They said they couldn’t ensure our safety, especially after recent threats to Kashmiris following the Pahalgam incident. They advised us to leave. I called my brother in Kashmir, who contacted a senior officer in our district. He spoke to Mussoorie police, but they said they couldn’t be held responsible if anything happened to us. That made us fearful, and we decided to leave immediately,” Dar said.
Nasir Khuehami, National Convenor of the J&K Students Association, shared the disturbing video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), tagging Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, J&K leader Omar Abdullah, and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to step in.
The police also later stated that it did not ask vendors to leave, but only those who had not gone through the process of local registration, or police verification. Authorities in Dehradun recently began a verification process to check the credentials of tenants, shopkeepers, and vendors from outside the state.
According to the Indian Express, Dar left that night, in a group of 16, travelled to Dehradun, boarded a bus to Jammu, and arrived in Kashmir the next day. “Punish the people who physically attacked us, not us. This was our business,” Dar said.
Javed Ahmed, 30, who lived with Dar, said they left behind goods worth about ₹12 lakh. “We have no idea when we will come back. Our fathers sold shawls here too, and they never faced any of this,” he said.
