Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday rang up his Uttarakhand counterpart Pushkar Singh Dhami to seek strict action against the perpetrators of an attack on a Kashmiri shawl seller.

Omar later said Jammu and Kashmir could not be claimed to be an inalienable part of India while Kashmiris live in fear in other parts of the country.

Kashmiris have faced multiple attacks in different parts of the country following last year’s militant attack in Pahalgam, with Uttarakhand emerging as the major trouble spot for them. The attacks continue despite intervention from the highest offices in the country.

Videos of an injured 18-year-old Kashmiri, seen with his head bandaged, sparked fresh outrage in Kashmir on Thursday, prompting Omar to call Dhami.

“Chief Minister spoke with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, @pushkardhami, regarding the incident of assault on a young Kashmiri shawl seller in Uttarakhand and urged him to take strict action against the perpetrators. @pushkardhami assured that strict action, including registration of an FIR, would be taken in the matter and safety of J&K residents will be ensured,” the chief minister’s office said on X.

Omar later said his government would step in wherever necessary and do whatever was needed to ensure these incidents were not repeated, hoping the Union home ministry would also sensitise other states on the same lines.

The Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said the young boy was helping his family earn a livelihood in the winter. It said an FIR had been registered by the Uttarakhand police, leading to the arrest of the accused.