Attacks on Kashmiri vendors spread across Indian states
Assaults and intimidation of shawl sellers in northern India spark alarm over targeting of Kashmiris and failure to curb Hindu nationalist
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A series of attacks on Kashmiri shawl vendors in multiple Indian states has renewed concern over the safety of migrant workers from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, with student groups warning of an expanding pattern of ideological targeting linked to Hindu right-wing activism.
In recent days, Kashmiri vendors selling winter shawls have been harassed and assaulted in at least two northern Indian states — Himachal Pradesh and Haryana — following a similar incident reported earlier in Uttarakhand.
Videos of the assaults, widely circulated on social media, show vendors being verbally abused, threatened, and, in some cases, physically attacked.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA), one of the most serious incidents occurred in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, where a shawl seller identified as Jehangir Ahmad was attacked by local right-wing elements. The association said Ahmad suffered fractures and multiple injuries and is currently receiving hospital treatment.
“This is the 16th case this year in Himachal Pradesh involving the targeting of Kashmiri shawl sellers,” the JKSA said in a statement, describing the attack as unprovoked and brutal.
The association said Ahmad had been selling shawls in the area for around 15 years and had longstanding ties with the local community.
Despite this, it said he was abused, threatened with death, and ordered to leave the state. His merchandise was vandalized, and his mobile phone was smashed when he attempted to record the assault.
In response, the JKSA publicly urged Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to take “immediate and decisive action” and ensure that criminal cases are registered against those responsible under relevant laws.
A separate incident was reported from Kaithal district in Haryana, where another Kashmiri shawl vendor was harassed in public. In a video that went viral online, the vendor is seen being coerced into chanting nationalist slogans and being falsely labelled as Bangladeshi. The JKSA said it formally raised the matter with state authorities and sought urgent intervention.
According to the association, its national convenor, Nasir Khuehami, spoke with Rajeev Jaitly, media adviser to Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, who assured that intimidation and violence against Kashmiri vendors would not be tolerated and that strict action would be taken in the Kaithal incident.
“Communal hatred must not be allowed to grow unchecked,” the JKSA said, adding that exemplary action was essential to uphold the rule of law and protect citizens’ right to livelihood without fear or discrimination.
Kashmiri shawl and carpet sellers routinely travel across India during winter months, forming an informal but vital seasonal economy. Rights advocates note that such vendors have increasingly faced suspicion, harassment, and violence amid a broader climate of hostility toward Muslims and Kashmiris, often amplified by nationalist rhetoric.
Observers warn that the repeated nature of these attacks, coupled with their circulation online, risks normalizing public intimidation and undermining internal mobility and economic security for minority communities.
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