NEW DELHI: In the wake of the deadly attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 Indian tourists, Kashmiris across India are facing a surge in targeted violence, harassment, and intimidation by Hindu nationalist groups and individuals.
According to a BBC report, Kashmiris living and working in Indian cities are bearing the brunt of anger following the April 22 Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), where unknown militants targeted a tourist bus.
The incident has significantly intensified Indo-Pak hostilities, with India accusing Pakistan-based groups of involvement—an allegation Islamabad has strongly denied.
Shabir Ahmad Dar, a Kashmiri shawl vendor who had been working in Mussoorie for over two decades, was seen in a viral video being publicly beaten and abused by members of a Hindu right-wing group.
His stall was ransacked and he was accused of being complicit in the Pahalgam attack. “They told us to leave town and never show our faces again,” Dar told the BBC.
Despite police arresting three of the attackers, they were released shortly after paying a fine and offering an apology.
Dar, along with dozens of other Kashmiri traders, has since fled Mussoorie. “We are too scared to go back,” he said. His merchandise, worth thousands of dollars, remains abandoned.
Reports of similar incidents have emerged from other parts of India, with over a dozen accounts of Kashmiri students and vendors facing threats, verbal abuse, and in some cases, physical assault. The BBC documented footage of students being chased off campuses and confronted on streets.
In Indian Punjab, a nursing student named Ummat Shabir recounted how neighbours called her a “terrorist” and how her classmate was ejected from a taxi after revealing her identity.
“It took us three days to reach home, but we had no choice,” she said.
These attacks are unfolding amid a heavy-handed security crackdown in IIOJK. Authorities have detained thousands, closed more than 50 tourist destinations, and razed homes of several people. Human rights advocates and local residents have described these actions as collective punishment.
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti have both voiced concern.
Abdullah warned against collateral damage, while Mufti criticised the demolitions and urged the government to distinguish between “terrorists and civilians”.
Veteran journalist Anuradha Bhasin, managing editor of The Kashmir Times, remarked that despite improvements in infrastructure and tourism since the revocation of Article 370 in 2019, the region’s peace remains superficial.
“The needle of suspicion is always on locals, even as militancy has declined,” she said. “They always have to prove their innocence.”
In response, Kashmiri communities held candlelight vigils and observed a day-long shutdown to mourn the victims.
Local newspapers ran blacked-out front pages in a symbolic protest against the violence and the worsening atmosphere of fear.
Shafi Subhan, a Kashmiri shawl seller from Kupwara, reflected on the public’s silence during the Mussoorie assault. “No one came to help. The public just stood and watched,” he said. “That hurt more than the blows.”
