Man, who assaulted Kashmiri vendors in Lucknow, arrested
A man, identified as Bajrang Sonkar, was arrested by Lucknow police on Wednesday night after a video of him thrashing two Kashmiri vendors in broad daylight went viral on social media. Meanwhile, his accomplice, one Amar Mishra, is at large. The distressing video showed saffron-clad men beating the victims only "because they were Kashmiris". Locals intervened and saved the men. Here's what went down.
The incident took place in Daliganj of the Uttar Pradesh capital around 5 PM. The Kashmiri men had spread their dry fruits on a sheet along the roadside when the men came and started thrashing them. One of the victims was seen pleading the men to stop but they continued to land blows and slaps on him. They also used sticks for the assault.
At one point during the assault, the men asked the vendors to produce their ID proofs. Though the Kashmiris showed their Aadhaar cards to the perpetrators, they didn't stop. The Kashmiris were forced to wrap up their belongings. Notably, few locals stepped up and rescued them. They asked the men to not take law in their hands and called the police instead.
SECOND video of the attack. These cries of this Kashmiri should make us all hand our heads in shame. Truly disgusted to see these clips. This is not the #NewIndia anyone can hope for. India is big, our hearts are bigger. Kashmir is our and so are the Kashmiris. pic.twitter.com/L7nXAqL2vf
— Prashant Kumar (@scribe_prashant) March 6, 2019
According to News18, this wasn't the first case of violence against Kashmiris. Earlier too vendors were beaten up in the area. Acting on the incident, Lucknow police registered a case of rioting and breaching peace. "A case has been filed in the Hazratganj police station. A search is on for the accused. An investigation will be done," said police officer Amit Kumar.
Nothing will do more damage to the idea of India in JK than videos like these. Keep thrashing Kashmiris like this on the streets at the hands of RSS/Bajrang Dal goons then try to sell the idea of “atoot ang”, it simply wont fly. https://t.co/MYkuEuDLjj
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) March 7, 2019
After the February 14 Pulwama attack, which was carried out by a Kashmiri terrorist, Kashmiris across the nation were assaulted by some fringe elements. Kashmiri students staying in Dehradun complained they were asked to leave the institutions, and some were also thrashed in Maharashtra. Taking cognizance of hate-inspired violence against Kashmiris, the Supreme Court asked states and union territories to ensure their safety.
Just as the treatment meted to Kashmiris concerned many, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a strong message. Addressing a rally, PM Modi said, "We are fighting for Kashmir, not against Kashmiris." He condemned acts of violence against students. "Youth of Kashmir are also fed up with the terrorism. They also want an end to terrorism and they are ready to support us," he said.
