Ruling National Conference’s alliance partner, the Congress party’s two MLAs, Irfan Lone and Iftikhar Ahmed, on Thursday staged a protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly over the alleged harassment and attacks faced by Kashmiris in other states. Both MLAs demanded an immediate end to inflammatory comments and subsequent actions that have led to physical assaults and verbal abuse.
Lone carried a placard reading “Stop harassment of Kashmiris,” while Ahmed held the protest on the Assembly stairs. The MLAs were later joined by other members, particularly from Rajouri, who also demanded an end to such narratives and physical attacks on Kashmiris in states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where two recent cases of Kashmiri shawl sellers being beaten without reason came to light.
Similar incidents have also increased in northern and central states, including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Referring to the recent case of alleged harassment of Kashmiri nursing students at a university in Rajasthan, the MLAs said they would raise the issue in the House.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government has contacted university officials and the state education minister over the matter, which is likely to affect 40–50 students studying at the institution.
The MLAs alleged that the students were beaten during a protest over course recognition, with four of them injured. They also claimed that university officials manhandled female students on campus.
Both members sought timely intervention from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to stop the harassment of Kashmiri people across the country.
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