SRINAGAR: After the terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of 25 tourists and a resident, the J&K Students Association has alleged that Kashmiri students in different parts of the country are being harassed, abused and assaulted.
“We have been receiving multiple distress calls from Kashmiri students from Dehradun. The students feel threatened and insecure in the aftermath of a video released by Hindu Rakhsha Dal, warning Kashmiri Muslim students to vacate Dehradun by 10 am today,” J&K Students Association national convenor Nasir Khuehami said.
He stated that the situation is becoming increasingly grim and deeply concerning for Kashmiri students studying outside the region. The association has released a set of helpline numbers to support students in distress.
“We have received distress calls from Universal Group of Institutions, Derabassi, Chandigarh, where Kashmiri students were brutally attacked inside the hostel premises during the night,” Khuehami said.
Kashmiri students said local individuals and other students forcefully entered the hostel at midnight and assaulted them with sharp weapons.
“Their clothes were torn, and at least one student sustained serious injuries,” Khuehami said.
According to Khuehami, it is the 7th incident of Kashmiri students being at the receiving end after the terror attack on tourists in Baisaran, Pahalgam.
He also stated that a Kashmiri student was brutally thrashed in Amity University, Noida.
In another incident, the Hindu Raksha Dal and other elements have issued written threats to several colleges in Dehradun, demanding the expulsion of Kashmiri Muslim students within a set deadline.
In a video that went viral on social media, Hindu Raksha Dal workers can be heard issuing threats to identify and physically assault Kashmiri Muslim students in Uttarakhand.
“Many terrified Kashmiri students from BFIT College Suduwala Dehradun, have already fled towards Jolly Grant Airport Dehradun to save their lives,” Khuehami said.
He alleged that in Himachal Pradesh, Kashmiri students in Arni University, Kathghar (Indora) and Kangra have been harassed, abused, and physically attacked.
“The Kashmiri students are being intimidated, labelled as terrorists and coerced to vacate their accommodation under threats and violence,” Khuehami alleged.
“We have also received distress calls from Kashmiri students and youth studying and working in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Landlords are asking them to vacate immediately, citing security concerns. Some have already left under pressure,” he said.
National President of J&K Students Association, Ummar Jamal, said the Association has established a dedicated response team to provide prompt assistance and coordinate with local authorities whenever necessary.
Concerned over the incidents, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the J&K government is in touch with the governments of the states where these reports are originating from.
"I’m also in touch with my counterpart, Chief Ministers in these states & have requested they take extra care," he said.
The militant attack on tourists at Baisaran, Pahalgam, which is also known as 'mini Switzerland', has caused massive outrage in the Valley, and for the first time in 35 years of militancy in J&K, Kashmir observed a complete shutdown to protest the attack.
