Kashmiri students face threats, assaults across India after Pahalgam attack
Videos show Hindu nationalists issuing threats as Kashmiri youth face violence, displacement in aftermath of Pahalgam attack
SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Kashmiri students across several Indian states have been assaulted, threatened, and forced to flee hostels and campuses, as Hindu right-wing groups intensify an Islamophobic campaign in the wake of the deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 25 tourists and one local resident.
The violence and intimidation — widely documented in videos circulating on Indian social media — reflect a chilling pattern of collective punishment targeting Muslim Kashmiris.
In multiple states, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, Kashmiri students are being vilified as terrorists, assaulted in their dormitories, and issued ultimatums to leave.
One such video, now viral, shows Lalit Sharma, a leader of the extremist Hindu Raksha Dal, threatening: “If we see any Kashmiri Muslim in Dehradun after 10 a.m. tomorrow, we will give them the treatment they deserve. The government won’t act, so we will.”
Following this threat, dozens of Kashmiri students fled to the airport or sought emergency assistance.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) reports that Kashmiri students at Universal Group of Institutions in Derabassi, Punjab, were violently attacked during the night.
“Local men and some students broke into their hostel, tore their clothes, and assaulted them with sharp weapons. One student was seriously injured,” said Nasir Khuehami, JKSA’s national convenor.
This marks the eighth such incident in less than 3 days.
In Noida, a student at Amity University was beaten on campus.
In Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, landlords have begun evicting Kashmiri tenants.
In Himachal Pradesh, hostel doors were reportedly forced open by hostile groups.
The threats and violence have left Kashmiri students living in fear — targeted not for any wrongdoing, but for their identity.
Rights groups and political leaders have condemned the attacks as part of a larger climate of anti-Muslim hatred fuelled by Hindutva organizations, both online and offline.
The spike in hostility mirrors past incidents, such as the 2019 Pulwama backlash, where Kashmiri youth were similarly persecuted.
Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said his government is coordinating with state counterparts to protect students.
“We’re in contact with the states where these incidents have occurred and have requested enhanced security for Kashmiri students,” he stated.
Former CM Mehbooba Mufti asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure safety of Kashmiris residing in other parts of the country in view of threats issued by Hindu right wing extremists.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a leading religious figure, added: “The fear and distress among Kashmiri students, now being circulated in brutal video footage, is deeply disturbing. This is a moment for urgent action — not silence.”
The Islamophobic vitriol online has played a central role in inciting real-world violence.
As the Indian government remains largely silent, the situation for Kashmiri students grows increasingly perilous — exposing not only their physical vulnerability, but also the broader dangers of unchecked majoritarian violence in today’s India.
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