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FIR registered after Kashmiri shawl seller assaulted in Himachal’s Bilaspur
According to police officials, the FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Abdul Ahad Khan, a Kupwara resident
Bilaspur police have registered an FIR after a Kashmiri shawl seller was allegedly assaulted and his goods were destroyed in the Ghumarwin area of the district, officials said.
According to police officials, the FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Abdul Ahad Khan, a Kupwara resident. Abdul reported the alleged assault at the police station, following which his statement was recorded. A case has been registered under Sections 126(2), 115(2) and 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Ghumarwin police station and further investigation is underway, said officials.
“I was on my way to my daily work on Sunday when I was attacked near Kuthera village in Ghumarwin tehsil by three people whose faces were covered. They did not ask me anything and assaulted me. They destroyed the garments meant for sale, including shawls, worth ₹20,000. I fled the spot,” said Abdul.
Bilaspur superintendent of police Sandeep Dhawal, said, “The matter was reported to us and after which an FIR was registered. We are now trying to trace the individuals who were involved in this.”
After the incident, a group of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Bilaspur, in a video on Monday, alleged harassment and threats while carrying out their work. They said that they often face harassment while doing their work and are told to stop working here. Some of them claimed to have been working there for around the last 18-20 years. “One man on a motorcycle stopped me and checked my documents. He later said that you should go back and not work here,” said a shawl-seller, Ghulam Mohammad, in a video. HT, however, could not verify the authenticity of the video.
“These Kashmiri shawl sellers, who have been working in Himachal for decades, are now being harassed, assaulted, and threatened to leave. Despite having proper verification and valid documents, they are being prevented from carrying out their business,” said Nasir Khuehami, national convener of Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA).
JKSA lauds Haryana CM for quick action
Meanwhile, the association welcomed the swift and decisive action taken by the Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini in the alleged incident of assault of a Kashmiri vendor in Kaithal. The police had lodged an FIR after taking suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Khuehami said that after the issue was taken up with the Haryana CM’s media advisor Rajeev Jaitly, he was informed that an FIR had been promptly registered and that police teams have been mobilised to trace and apprehend the accused.
The association added that the Haryana chief minister has taken serious note of the incident and has clearly conveyed that acts of harassment, intimidation, and violence against Kashmiri traders will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
With inputs from HTC Srinagar
