An assault on a group of Kashmiri shawl vendors in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie that forced them to leave the place has triggered fresh resentment in the Valley, with politicians calling it a collective punishment of Kashmiris for the Pahalgam attack.

A video showing two Kashmiri shawl sellers being brutally assaulted by alleged member of the Bajrang Dal has gone viral. Around 16 shawl sellers have left the tourist spot for Kashmir after the assault.

Scores of ordinary Kashmiris, mostly students, have been assaulted or harassed across the country as “punishment” for the Pahalgam attack. The assaults had prompted chief minister Omar Abdullah to rush his ministers to different states to take up the matter with the respective governments as well as to reassure Kashmiris.

The latest video shows a group in Mussoorie beating and abusing the shawl vendors. The accused have been identified as Suraj Singh, Pradeep Singh and Abhishek Uniyal. The police in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand have identified the attackers as Bajrang Dal activists.

Media reports from Mussoorie said the vendors were “abandoned” by the state and instructed by the local police to leave the area.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association, which has played a proactive role in flagging such attacks, said they had raised the matter with Uttarakhand director-general of police Deepak Seth and were told that the three accused persons had been arrested.

The association, however, said the trio had been released. “Shockingly, no FIR was lodged. A senior Uttarakhand police officer informed us that since they (the trio) had apologised, no case was registered,” a spokesperson said.

Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said Kashmiris were being subjected to collective punishment both inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir. He said it was “unjust and inhuman”.

“The physical and verbal assault on Kashmiri shawl vendors, who had to flee when the police in Mussoorie refused to guarantee their safety, is disturbing. After large-scale detentions, demolition of homes and crackdowns in Kashmir, ordinary citizens, students and small traders outside Jammu and Kashmir are being attacked and forced to return,” the Mirwaiz said on X.

“Being themselves at the receiving end of all forms of violence and subsequent suffering for decades, Kashmiris’ condemnation, empathy and grief for the victims of the Pahalgam bloodbath is straight from the heart, yet they are being vilified and targeted.”

The Mirwaiz urged the people of India not to fall prey to “hatred and media propaganda creating mistrust”.