JKSA seeks NHRC intervention over incidents of violence against Kashmiri traders, students

Srinagar, Jan 02: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) through a letter, seeking its urgent intervention as incidents of intimidation, harassment, discrimination, and violence against Kashmiri students, shawl sellers, and traders continue to rise unabated across North India, particularly in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Maharashtra.

In a letter to the NHRC, the JKSA alleged that over the past ten days alone, more than a dozen incidents of violence and harassment against Kashmiri youth working or studying outside the Union Territory have been reported, reflecting a dangerous and persistent pattern of targeted harassment rather than isolated events.

“Kashmiri shawl sellers are being accosted, threatened, and forcibly made to chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Jai Shree Ram, and Vande Mataram — left, right, and centre. Forcing someone to chant slogans is an act of coercion and humiliation. Nowhere does the Constitution of India mandate any citizen to chant any slogan to prove their patriotism.” the JKSA states in the letter. Adding that “Patriotism cannot be imposed through threats or intimidation; it must flow from freedom, dignity, and equal rights. When some youths refused, they were threatened, grabbed by the neck, choked, and subjected to humiliating and degrading treatment. Their belongings have been vandalised and looted, they have been prevented from selling their shawls, and in several cases their mobile phones were damaged when they attempted to record these incidents.”

It is important to note that these shawl sellers are not newcomers. They have been selling shawls for 20 to 30 years, living peacefully within the community. Despite this, they are threatened, asked to vacate the area and leave the state immediately, their stock looted, and they have even been threatened with death. Kashmiris are not outsiders in India. We are equal citizens and an integral part of this country, entitled to the same rights, freedoms, and protections as any other Indian under the Constitution. Targeting innocent Kashmiri traders and forcing them out of cities only deepens alienation and mistrust. This is precisely what our hostile neighbour seeks — to sow division and weaken our social fabric. By harassing Kashmiris, we are inadvertently playing into their hands and undermining national unity, the letter reads.

As a result, many Kashmiri traders are living under constant fear and severe psychological distress. Alarmingly, several have been forced to leave Himachal Pradesh, leading to disruption of livelihoods built over generations, loss of income, and a profound erosion of dignity. Allowing such harassment to continue unchecked risks normalising violence and vigilantism, it reads.

The association said that it has documented all these cases that happened in Solan, Kangra, and Bilaspur districts of Himachal Pradesh; Kashipur, Udamsingh Nagar, and Uttarkashi districts of Uttarakhand; Kaithal, Fatehabad, Kurukshetra, Pimpli, and Ambala districts of Haryana; as well as in Mumbai and Delhi. All these incidents have been recorded and reported through JKSA state units, following which they are flagged to the concerned authorities. Inaccessibility with the government, police, and administrative system becomes the main reason that affected individuals reach out to JKSA.

A Kashmiri student, Munazza, shared that she was denied accommodation in New Delhi solely because of her religion. At one place, she was explicitly told that she would be given the flat only if she agreed to stop wearing the hijab. In Mumbai, a Kashmiri student was accused as “badwa,” “Pakistani,” and faced attempted assault by fringe elements, the association said.

In the past 12 days, more than 12 incidents of harassment, assault, intimidation, eviction, denial of accommodation, and brutal attacks have been reported, yet no serious action or accountability has been taken. Himachal Pradesh alone has witnessed more than 17 incidents in 2025, yet the state government has failed to act effectively, the letter reads.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has been closely monitoring these incidents and has consistently taken them up with the concerned state administrations. In several states, timely intervention by authorities helped ensure the safety of Kashmiri students and traders and facilitated redressal. However, Himachal Pradesh presents a deeply disturbing picture. Despite repeated representations, assurances, and interventions at multiple levels, incidents continue to recur with worrying regularity, while effective action on the ground has remained largely absent, it reads.

Sir, this year alone has witnessed at least 18 incidents of assault, intimidation, and harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Himachal Pradesh. Yet, despite these repeated attacks, there has been little concrete action — no prompt or effective registration of FIRs in several cases, no visible arrests or deterrent measures, and no sustained effort to ensure the safety and confidence of affected communities. This reflects a complete failure to ensure the safety, dignity, and livelihood of thousands of Kashmiri shawl sellers who earn their living in the state through honest and traditional means. The continued inaction has emboldened miscreants and created an atmosphere of fear, where vulnerable traders are left at the mercy of mobs instead of being protected by the rule of law, the association says in the letter.

The association further states that many Kashmiri students and traders are presently living under constant fear and severe psychological distress. Alarmingly, several have been forced to leave the state, resulting in the disruption of education, loss of livelihood, and erosion of dignity. This is not merely administrative negligence; it reflects a serious lack of political will and moral responsibility to protect Kashmiri citizens, despite repeated assurances of harmony and justice

The association cautions that these incidents carry consequences far beyond Himachal Pradesh. They risk deepening alienation, particularly in the Kashmir Valley, where people closely and anxiously observe how Kashmiri citizens are treated in the rest of the country. Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in Kashmir than repeated instances where innocent Kashmiris are targeted, threatened, or forced to flee while perpetrators go unpunished. Such developments undermine trust, weaken emotional integration, and harm long-term national interests, reads the letter.

It must be stated clearly and unequivocally that Kashmiris are not outsiders in India. They are equal citizens and an integral part of this country, entitled to the same rights, freedoms, and constitutional protections as any other Indian. Targeting innocent Kashmiri traders and forcing them out of cities only deepens alienation and mistrust. This is precisely what our hostile neighbour seeks — to sow internal division, fracture social cohesion, and weaken our national fabric, the letter concludes.