A Kashmiri shawl seller was allegedly assaulted and forced to chant religious slogans by a group of unidentified men in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur, triggering police action and political reactions.
Police said the incident took place on December 22 in the Manpur area, where the 30-year-old trader was stopped by six unknown individuals near Ujala Hospital.
A video of the incident later surfaced on social media, prompting intervention by the authorities. “A case has been registered and some suspects in the matter has been detained,” police said on Friday.
Udham Singh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police Manikant Mishra said the police acted as soon as the video came to light.
“As soon as the video surfaced, the police immediately took action and had the video removed from the social media platforms to prevent any kind of social tension,” he said.
The complainant, Bilal Ahmed, told police that the men allegedly forced him to chant religious slogans. “When he refused, they verbally abused and assaulted him,” the complaint said.
According to the police, the accused also attempted to rob Ahmed of the warm clothes and cash he was carrying and issued threats. They allegedly warned him of dire consequences if he returned to the area to sell his goods.
Ahmed, a native of Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir, is currently living in nearby Ramnagar and has been working in the region for the past nine years, the officer said.
The SSP said that “any attempt to disrupt law and order and social harmony will not be tolerated,” and appealed to people to refrain from circulating provocative content online.
The incident has drawn political attention as well.
Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti urged the Uttarakhand police chief to intervene and ensure “that the perpetrators are held accountable and such incidents are not repeated in future”, reported Tribune India.
Police later confirmed that arrests have been made.
“Police in Uttarakhand's Kashipur have arrested some of the accused charged with the assault on a Kashmiri shawl seller who was allegedly forced to chant religious slogans,” officials said, as reported by National Herald.