An incident happened recently in Mussoorie, a popular hill station in Uttarakhand, where 16 Kashmiri shawl sellers were forced to leave the town after being attacked by some of the local people in Mussoorie. These sellers had come from Kashmir to sell woollen clothes like shawls, sweaters, etc., which is something they do every year during the winter and also tourist season.
The Kashmiri sellers said that they were doing their work as usual, talking to customers and showing their products to customers, but suddenly a few came and started behaving badly with them. The locals reportedly beat some of the sellers, also shouted at them, and even damaged some of their items.
The Kashmiri men said that they were very scared and felt not safe after the attack. They quickly packed up their belongings and decided to leave Mussoorie. After the attack, the matter was reported to the police.
According to police officials, the Kashmiri vendors were asked to show their ID cards and also told to leave the area. In a video that has gone viral. One of them, Shabir Ahmed Dar, who is from Kupwara, said they have been coming to Mussoorie for the last 18 years. He shared that they usually stay in Dehradun during winters and come to Mussoorie in summer to sell woollen clothes. He also added, “We live near the mosque and know the local people well. Even the men who attacked us had seen us before. Still, no one supported us. Many people from other states work in Kashmir, and we have always treated them well.
