Kashmiri vendor roughed up at Gita festival, FIR lodged

The vendor Younish Ahamad, a native of Srinagar, said that he has taken shop number 289 from the administration for the festival.

Kurukshetra police have registered an FIR under charges of rioting and criminal intimidation, a day after a Kashmiri vendor was allegedly manhandled by a group of men holding saffron flags during the ongoing International Gita Mohatsav at Brahma Sarovar.

In a video, being widely shared on social media, it can be seen how a group of men holding saffron flags and chanting slogans enters the said shop, when one of them thrashes a man standing outside and the other starts throwing items away. (HT File)

The vendor Younish Ahamad, a native of Srinagar, said that he has taken shop number 289 from the administration for the festival.

In his police complaint, he said, “On Saturday, a group of 30 to 40 men came and started shouting to remove shops of Muslims, while throwing our items. They also thrashed me with sticks and called me Bangladeshi. During this, a few of my items were also stolen. They left after threatening that they will burn my shop. They made announcements over the mic not to buy from Muslims.”

In a video, being widely shared on social media, it can be seen how a group of men holding saffron flags and chanting slogans enters the said shop, when one of them thrashes a man standing outside and the other starts throwing items away.

The video also shows locals coming to the rescue of the stall owner immediately to help him arrange the items and to condemn the act.

SP Varun Singla said that based on the complaint, a case was registered under sections 190, 191(3), 351(2), 324(4), 303(2), 115(2), 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Kurukshetra University Police Station and the matter is being probed.