Jammu & Kashmir

Kashmiris are neither safe in their houses nor outside, says Geelani, condemns ‘criminal assault’ on businesses in Shimla

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani strongly condemning the ‘criminal assault’ on the shopkeepers in Shimla, a few days back, said that we always believe that Kashmiris are neither safe in their houses nor outside the state and such incidents stand testimony to our narrative.

He said, “our students in different parts of India are harassed for one reason or the other, and most of them, failing to resist the humiliation, leave their education and return home as their safety is not ensured.”

Geelani said that Indian establishment is scared of the conscious youth, but now people who go outside just to earn their livelihood are also vandalized, beaten and their shops ransacked along with the goods worth lakhs.

Geelani said that these incidents should serve as eye opener for those propagating the communal harmony and dignified life of minorities here in India.

He said that encouragement and patting from the administration, criminal silent affirmation by the police and garlanding such fanatic elements have multifolded these inhuman and immoral acts.

Hurriyat (G) leader said that taking control of our natural resources, suffocating every individual here in Kashmir, perpetrators do not allow easy breathing of poor Kashmiris outside also.

The stamens comes after a mob ransacked shops of Kashmiri businessmen in Rohru Tehsil of Shimla after a severed head of calf was found in the market.

The angry mob first vandalized a vegetable market belonging to some Muslims.

“Then they attacked our shops in main market of Rohru. Protesters were carrying hammers, iron roads, and sticks. They broke shop shutters and started vandalizing everything. Police was there but they were standing as ‘mute spectators’,” Mudasir Ahmed, a Kashmir shopkeeper said.

A video, allegedly of the incident, was shared on social media. The video cannot be independently verified.

The report added that there are around 5 to 6 Kashmiri shops in the market and 3 of them were looted by the mob.

“During the past many years, they have never done anything which is against the aspirations of a local community or hurt their religious sentiments,” Ahmed said.

“He said it has been now four days after the incident, local administration has turned deaf towards Kashmiri traders.

Ghulam Muhammad, a shopkeeper, from Kokernag area of Anantnag, told the Rising Kashmir that their shops were targeted in the morning last Wednesday.

“Our shops were closed, as calf episode was reported on Christmas night. The next day there was shut down in the area but being Muslims our shops were targeted deliberately by the mob,” he said.

However the police registered an FIR on the basis of a statement of the Rohru station house officer. It names 10 people. The police said the situation remained under control on Friday.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce condemned the incident and expressed its concern at the selective targeting of Kashmiri business community.

 

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