Mussoorie: At least 16 Kashmiri shawl vendors have left Mussoorie and returned to the Kashmir valley after two of them were allegedly assaulted and abused by local men last week, triggering fear and unrest among the trader community.
In a troubling video widely shared on social media, two shawl sellers were seen being violently attacked by members allegedly linked to the Bajrang Dal in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
The footage shows two to three men hurling verbal abuse and physically assaulting the visibly frightened vendors. Instead of offering support, the police reportedly told the victims to vacate the area, worsening their ordeal.
The video, posted by many users, depicts the assailants brazenly thrashing and intimidating the traders while demanding to see their identification documents.
The video shows two vendors being slapped, harassed, and forced to shut their business despite producing valid Aadhaar cards proving their identity from Jammu and Kashmir. The attackers were identified as Suraj Singh (Post Kempty, Tehri Garhwal), Pradeep Singh (Hathipaon, Mussoorie), and Abhishek Uniyal (Company Garden, Mussoorie), according to Director General of Police Deepam Seth. Legal action has been initiated under the Police Act, reports said.
Nasir Khuehami, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, said that the accused were linked to the Bajrang Dal. “Two Kashmiri traders were brutally assaulted and at least 16 others, most of them from Kupwara, were intimidated, harassed, and forced to leave their rented homes,” he said, adding that the victims had been peacefully doing business in Mussoorie for years.
Following backlash and legal action, the accused reportedly issued an apology, promising not to repeat such behaviour. However, Khuehami confirmed that nearly all affected vendors have since returned home, citing growing insecurity and lack of assurance for their safety.
