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Himachal woman tenders apology after outrage over video ‘targeting’ Kashmiri shawl vendors
The video of a woman claiming to be a panchayat official was shared widely on social media, warning two shawl sellers from Kashmir against trading their wares in Himachal Pradesh
After her viral video, warning two Kashmiri shawl vendors against trading their goods in Himachal, went viral triggering widespread outrage, the woman has tendered an apology.
The video of the woman claiming to be a panchayat official was shared widely on social media, warning two shawlsellers from Kashmir against trading their wares in Himachal Pradesh.
On Tuesday, national convener of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association Nasir Khuehami shared the video of the woman apologising on X.
The woman, in the 49-second clip, said, “I accept my mistake and apologise if I intentionally or unintentionally said something wrong. I told them not to come to my home as some women live alone here and are scared of strangers.”
Khuehami wrote that the woman expressed deep regret for her actions and issued a formal apology. “The victims (Kashmiri Shawl Sellers), in a remarkable gesture of forgiveness, has chosen to pardon her and requested the police not to proceed with lodging the FIR,” he further wrote.
He thanked the Himachal chief minister (CM)) Sukhvinder Sukhu and his media advisor Naresh Chauhan for the personal intervention. It may be mentioned that on Monday, Khuehami shared a 2.46-minute video on X claiming it to be from a village in Himachal in which the woman could be seen telling the two Kashmiris not to come to the village and asking them to chant “Jai Shri Ram” to prove they are “Hindustani”.
“No one will purchase their products, buy from our Hindu people,” the woman is seen telling others in the video. “Don’t come in my area,” she told shawl sellers.
Later in a post, Khuehami said that the CM’s office had assured action against anyone found intimidating Kashmiris.
Earlier, political leaders in Kashmir had called for strong action against the woman shortly after the video went viral.
Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari had asked the Himachal Pradesh government to take action against the woman.
“A video circulating on social media shows a woman, apparently in Himachal Pradesh, mistreating two Kashmiri shawl sellers by asking them to chant the “Jai Shri Ram” slogan or return to Kashmir. Such incidents, though seemingly minor, are provoking strong reactions on social media and harming the social fabric of our country. Authorities must take notice of this incident and ensure that such actions do not occur in the future,” Bukhari wrote on X while sharing the video.
Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah had said the lady who threatened Kashmiri vendors should be booked. “Idea of BJP’s India explained in this 2-3 minute video: Kashmir is not part of India. Too much for ‘integration of Kashmir’ after theabrogation of 370. The criteria for holding Indian citizenship is chanting a slogan of a particular religion. If there is some India still left which functions on its law and principles, this lady should be booked under Section 196, 197 and 302,” Ruhullah Mehdi wrote on X and shared the video on social media.
People’s Conference chief and Handwara MLA Sajjad Lone wrote, “While the recent incident in Himachal Pradesh is utterly reprehensible. My humble appeal to all is that we need to be careful and restrained in our utterances. These young brave boys live in a neighbouring village next to our ancestral village Dard Harrai. The problem is that there are thousands of people from these areas presently working in Himachal Pradesh. Let us be careful lest we create problems for them.”
“In BJP’s India, hate is normalised and Congress-ruled Himachal concedes to this divisive agenda. A Kashmiri father-son duo from Panzgam Kupwara are bullied, threatened, and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by a Sarpanch’s wife who blatantly ignores the law. Salute to the Kashmiri boy for standing tall and refusing to bow to hooliganism. And then they say, ‘Kashmiris are our own.’ Shame,” PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan said.
