Kashmiri vendor beaten, forced to chant nationalist slogan in India
Muslim trader beaten by Hindu extremist group in Uttarakhand, highlighting growing attacks on Kashmiri workers outside region
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A Kashmiri Muslim laborer and seasonal trader was violently assaulted, threatened, and forced to chant a Hindu nationalist slogan in northern India’s Uttarakhand state, in an attack that has heightened fears among Kashmiri workers who travel across the country for seasonal livelihoods.
The victim, Bilal Ahmed Ganie, a resident of Kupwara in Kashmir, earns his living by selling shawls and handicrafts across towns in Uttarakhand during the winter season. He was attacked while operating in Udham Singh Nagar district, a commercial area that attracts seasonal traders from multiple regions.
Ganie was assaulted by members of Bajrang Dal, a militant organization linked to India’s broader Hindutva movement. During the attack, he was beaten, robbed of his merchandise, issued death threats, and ordered to leave the state immediately.
He was also forced to chant “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” a slogan meaning “Victory to Mother India.” While often used in nationalist contexts, rights advocates say the slogan has increasingly been weaponized by Hindu extremist groups to publicly humiliate Muslims and Kashmiris and to compel displays of ideological loyalty under threat of violence.
The attack was raised by the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, which said the assault forced Ganie to abandon his work and flee the area for his safety. The group said he had travelled to Uttarakhand for seasonal trade for several years without incident before the attack.
Following the assault, Ganie filed a complaint with local police. The association has demanded swift arrests, a credible investigation, and protection for Kashmiri traders who rely on seasonal migration to survive economically.
Each year, thousands of Kashmiri vendors travel across India to sell shawls, handicrafts, and dry fruits during winter months. In recent years, however, many have reported harassment, forced sloganeering, physical assaults, and expulsion by Hindu extremist groups in multiple states.
Analysts say these attacks reflect a broader pattern of majoritarian vigilantism, in which Kashmiri Muslims are treated as suspect outsiders.
They warn that forcing individuals to chant political or nationalist slogans under violence constitutes ideological coercion and represents a serious erosion of civil liberties and equal citizenship.
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