'Why Attack Us?': Many Kashmiri Shawl Sellers Leave Mussoorie After 2 Assaulted

Around 15-16 shawl sellers from Jammu and Kashmir left Uttarakhand's Mussoorie after two of them were assaulted on 23 April 2025. The incident took place a day after the Pahalgam terror attack, but the video of the case went viral six days later.Moreover, the accused who were held by the police have now been released, Uttarakhand police confirmed to The Quint.As the video purportedly shows, some locals approached two Kashmiri shawl and suit sellers, harassed, slapped and abused them. "Are you not able to understand?" they asked them while ordering them to leave.This incident sent shockwaves among the community of Kashmiri traders in Mussoorie and around 15-16 such workers hailing from Kupwara district, fled the place to go back to the Valley.Shabir Ahmed Dar, 36, is one of them. Dar has a wife and two daughters back in Kashmir. He has been working in Uttarakhand for 20 years. He claimed that around 9 PM, nearly 30-40 men came, out of which 5-6 also had sticks in their hands.Pahalgam Attack Aftermath: Demolitions, Mass Arrests, Uncertainty"I knew these men and have seen them before which is why I thought they would not do anything like this. But they said, 'Tum log ne udhar Kashmir mein logo ko maara (You killed people in Kashmir)' and started abusing us. I tried to explain to them that I've been working here since 20 years, from the shopkeepers to the tea-sellers there, they know me."Shabir Ahmad Dar to The QuintExplaining their movement for livelihood, he stated that the Kashmiri sellers work in Dehradun from October to March and then come to the Mall road in Mussoorie. "We only put our stalls for two hours in the evening from 8-10 PM. They could not even tolerate us for two hours?" asked Dar.First, DGP Deepam Seth said that three men were arrested in the case, as per PTI.But then providing further clarification, Pramod Kumar, Dehradun SP City, told The Quint, "We detained three accused — Suraj Singh, Pradeep Singh and Abhishek Uniyal — and taking suo moto cognizance of the video, they were booked under section 81 in the Uttarakhand Police Act. The probe started from 23 April itself."This case comes on the heels of several other such incidents reported against Kashmiri students and Muslims in India. Some days ago, Hindu Raksha Dal in Dehradun, Uttarakhand had put out videos, threatening Kashmiri Muslims and vowing to "drive them out" of the state.The other Kashmiri shawl seller who was attacked is Mohammad Iqbal, 26, who has been working in Uttarakhand since a decade.It was Iqbal whose Aadhar card was forcefully snatched and shown in the video by the local Hindu mob."One customer had come to get exchange one of the suits she had bought, and before we could do anything else, the mob came. I've never faced something like this before. They showed my Aadhar card too, how can they do that?" asked an upset Iqbal.He stated that after the incident, both of them, along with some other Kashmiri sellers went to their rooms and did not come out till the next morning."Hum bhi iss mitti ke hi hai, humare saath aisa kyu horha hain? (We are from this land. Why is this happening to us?) Whoever did the terror attack, it hurt us all. We have been opposing it openly. Those people are monsters, they are not Hindu or Muslim. But If we cannot work there, then where do work? If we're not safe in India, then where are we safe?"Mohd Iqbal to The QuintDar, too, stated that their migration is borne purely out of livelihood and sustenance. He observed:"There are Biharis working in Kashmir, would it be fair if I say anything to them? The police would take action against us. The same way, we are also working to earn in Uttarakhand."Both Dar and Iqbal stated that the Police had in general told them that the situation was not good that day and they should close their stalls.Post-Pahalgam Islamophobia: Let Harmony Bloom in the Gardens of KashmirJaved Ahmad, 31, also a Kashmiri shawl seller also left Mussoorie with the others. He stated that Dar had not told them about the assault they had faced and hidden it as they were scared.Dar told The Quint, "Nobody came to help. People were only making videos of what was happening. Somebody showed me the video the same day and I thought we'll let it be to not make a scene out of it, thinking that these things happen."Meanwhile, all three of them said that the next day when they visited the police station to file an entry, they were told to leave and come back after 10 days or so."We went to the police the next day around 4 PM to file an entry but the police told us straight away that 'mahaul bohot ganda chal raha hain (The situation is very bad)" so we should leave. They visited our rooms around 11 PM and told us to pack and leave as 'our lives are in danger'. They assured us our stock would be safe. They seemed a bit scared themselves but they helped us," said Dar.The same night, Dar and others, left for Dehradun where Ahmad lived. They stayed there for some time and left the next day.Meanwhile Ahmed, who has also been working in Mussoorie for 15 years, said that all Kashmiris are ashamed at what transpired in Pahalgam. But, "Par ab saare Kashmiris pissey jaarhe hain (Kashmiris are being tortured for it)," he remarked. "Our fathers worked there for years, now they are old so we are selling our suits and shawls on Mall road, it has been a generational business since over 40 years. Such a thing never happened to our fathers too," said Ahmad.Dar, Iqbal and Ahmad, all three stated they wish to go back and continue working in harmony. Meanwhile, SP Kumar said that heavy patrolling by PAC and local police have been deployed in Mussoorie lest any such incident takes place against Kashmiri Muslims.‘Fault of Govt, Not Kashmiris’: Families of Pahalgam Victims Seek Accountability

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'Why Attack Us?': Many Kashmiri Shawl Sellers Leave Mussoorie After 2 Assaulted

"If we cannot work there, then where do work? If we're not safe in India, then where are we safe?" asked a Kashmiri.

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Topics: Jammu and Kashmir Dehradun Mussoorie