Kashmiri students face profiling and intimidation in India after Red Fort blast
Student groups say mass questioning, evictions, and harassment reflect growing suspicion of Kashmiris as police widen terror-related checks across several states
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Kashmiri student groups in northern India say thousands of young people from Jammu and Kashmir are being subjected to profiling, aggressive questioning, and eviction threats in the aftermath of a blast near Delhi’s Red Fort, warning that “collective suspicion” is putting their safety and education at risk.
The Jammu & Kashmir Students’ Association said more than 2,000 Kashmiri students living in the city of Faridabad were questioned by Haryana police after authorities arrested two doctors in what investigators described as an alleged “white-collar terror module.”
Students say they have no connection to the case and allege that routine policing has turned into a sweeping dragnet targeting Kashmiris.
The association said Kashmiri students across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi are being stopped for verification checks, pressured by landlords to vacate their rooms, and subjected to heightened surveillance in universities and residential areas.
Rights groups say similar patterns have historically emerged in India after major security incidents, where Muslim and Kashmiri communities face disproportionate scrutiny.
Association convener Nasir Khuehami urged India’s prime minister to publicly reassure Kashmiri students, saying such a message is necessary to counter a climate of hostility. He warned that portraying an entire community as suspect deepens alienation and contributes to a culture of fear.
Khuehami said many students have already left campuses out of anxiety. He added that although Kashmiris “reject terrorism in all forms,” they continue to be “profiled and vilified by authorities and local residents,” with some forced to return home after landlords issued eviction notices.
Expressing sorrow over the Delhi blast, the association said the tragedy has caused shock and grief in Jammu & Kashmir as well. It said it is willing to cooperate with investigators but stressed that innocent students should not bear the burden of guilt by association.
The statement warned that the “othering” of minorities poses long-term risks for India’s social fabric. Student representatives argued that communal profiling “strengthens neither national security nor national unity”.
It notes that Kashmiris contribute to India’s universities, hospitals, research centers and startups — yet routinely find their identity criminalized during moments of political tension.
The association said law enforcement must be free to investigate the attack but emphasized that mass suspicion directed at an entire community is “unjust and dangerous.”
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