Gandhi’s India is on verge of death: Iltija Mufti on attacks on Kashmiris outside Valley

Srinagar: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader Iltija Mufti on Monday condemned the alleged assault of a Kashmiri shawl trader in Uttarakhand, calling it a disturbing reflection of rising intolerance and hatred against Kashmiris outside the Union Territory.

Reacting to the incident in Udham Singh Nagar district and reported by Free Press Kashmir, Mufti said the trader was allegedly thrashed by Bajrang Dal workers for refusing to chant “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.

In a sharp statement, she accused right-wing organisations of creating fear and targeting Kashmiris solely for their identity.

“Beating a Kashmiri shawl seller for refusing to chant a slogan shows how deep the rot has gone. Bajrang Dal along with the RSS is like a metastatic cancer that is making India sick,” Mufti said, warning that such incidents threaten the idea of Gandhi’s India.

“Bajrang Dal workers thrashed a Kashmiri shawl trader only because he refused to chant Bharat Mata ki Jai. Bajrang Dal along with RSS is a metastatic cancer that is making India sick. Gandhi’s India is on the verge of death,” she posted on X.

The reaction comes after the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said that a Kashmiri trader, Bilal Ahmad, who has been living and selling shawls in Kashipur for nearly a decade, was assaulted, threatened and asked to leave the area. The association has sought police action and intervention from the Uttarakhand government.

Mufti said repeated attacks on Kashmiris travelling outside the Valley for work or education were deeply worrying and reflected a shrinking space for dissent and diversity.

“These incidents are not isolated. They show how Kashmiris are being othered and made to feel unsafe in their own country,” she said.

Separately, Lok Sabha MP Engineer Rashid has written to the chief ministers of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh over what he described as rising attacks on Kashmiris in the two states, seeking steps to ensure their safety.

In recent months, students’ bodies and traders’ groups have flagged multiple instances of harassment and violence against Kashmiri shawl sellers in different parts of the country, alleging religious profiling and intimidation.