SRINAGAR: Amid anger over the attack of two dry fruit sellers from Kashmir in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow, it is the residents of the city that the men are most thankful to.
The two dry fruit sellers from Kashmir, who were beaten with sticks and threatened by a group of men from a fringe right-wing group in Lucknow on Wednesday, were rescued by a few local residents of the city. Four of the attackers have been arrested after videos of the attack were widely shared.
Mohammed Afzal Naik and Abdul Salaam expressed their gratitude to the passers-by who rushed to their rescue when they were being beaten up and harassed by the saffron-clad men on a busy road in central Lucknow’s Daliganj.
“They (attackers) said we are terrorists. We were told that we sell items here and throw stones there. They started thrashing us. They asked for our Aadhaar cards. We showed it to them,” Mohammed Afzal Naik said, describing the traumatic moments before the media and the police.
Speaking about the passers-by, Naik said, “They’re good. Those people saved us. They told the men that it is upto the police to speak to us. They had reached before the police.”
Meanwhile National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that such incidents will do more harm to the idea of India in Jammu and Kashmir than anything else.
“Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in J&K than videos like these. Keep thrashing Kashmiris like this on the streets at the hands of RSS/Bajrang Dal goons & then try to sell the idea of ‘atoot ang’ (integral part), it simply won’t fly,” Abdullah said in a series of tweets.
The former chief minister was reacting to a video in which two Kashmiris were being seen thrashed by a group of men in Lucknow.
“Dear PM @narendramodi Sahib, this is what you had spoken against & yet it continues unabated. This is the state governed by your handpicked Chief Minister. Can we expect action in this case or do we file your concern & assurances as a jumla, meant to placate but nothing more?” Abdullah asked.
Abdullah posed a question to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who represents the Lucknow seat in Lok Sabha, that if he would step in to deliver the justice in this case.“Jenab @rajnathsingh Sahib.
You represent this constituency in the Lok Sabha, this is the constituency where Vajpayee Sb was elected from & went on to be PM. If no one else will step in & deliver justice can we expect you to punish those guilty of this assault?” he added.
Meanwhile J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President G.A. Mir also condemned the incident and sought stern action against the goons.
He also said that Centre Govt led by Prime Minister Narendra has utterly failed to ensure safety and security of people from J&K.
Expressing anguish over the incident of thrashing of Kashmiri vendors G.A. Mir said that RSS Bajrangdal goons deliberately and under well planned conspiracy are targeting Kashmiri people to vitiate atmosphere in valley inorder to serve their vested interests.
He said despite the recent directions from Supreme Court to various states with regard to safety of Kashmiri people, the Centre Govt has not been able to ensure peaceful atmosphere for the people of J&K, which is not only serious but unfortunate.
He emphasized that the RSS Bajrangdal Goons responsible for thrashing the Vendors must be brought to book for stern action against them, for the fact, they are threat to peace and tranquility in the country he added and said that UP Govt must take cognizance of the matter to ensure punishment to goons, if it is really concerned about the safety and security of people.
The Kashmiri vendors, who were selling dry fruits on a busy Lucknow road, were thrashed by a group of men belonging to a right-wing organisation. The perpetrators filmed the assault on their mobile phones. In a video shared by one of the accused, they are heard saying that they did it because they belonged to Kashmir. One of the accused has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police after the video of the incident went viral.
The incident took place on Wednesday evening in Daliganj area of Central Lucknow when a handful of saffron-clad men started beating the traders. Seeing no police on spot, the bystanders came to the rescue of the traders and stopped the group from further assault.
Later, the police registered a case of rioting and breach of peace and arrested one of the accused men. “A case has been filed in the Hazratganj police station. A search is on for the accused. An investigation will be done,” police officer Amit Kumar said.
However, the main accused, president of Vishwa Hindu Dal, has not been arrested yet and continues to post updates on social media. Following the outrage, the video of the incident has been taken down.
Ever since 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) men were killed in Kashmir’s Pulwama on February 14, Kashmiris have been attacked in several parts of the country.
The series of incidents on February 22 led the Supreme Court of India to send notices to the Centre and 10 states, asking for their responses on a plea seeking intervention to prevent such attacks on Kashmiri students.
The top court directed the states to take action against the accused and posted the matter for further hearing. Continued attacks on Kashmiris are thus a violation of the orders of the Supreme Court. They are a violation of the Constitutional spirit of India.
These attacks are a violation, indeed, of the very spirit of India itself, which rejects such ethnic discrimination and senseless violence, in all cases, all scenarios, unambiguously. (PTK)
