Take ‘extra care’ to prevent targeting of Kashmiri students, Omar Abdullah urges other CMs

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday urged his counterparts elsewhere in the country to “take extra care” to ensure that Kashmiri students outside the union territory are not targeted in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Abdullah was responding to a post by National Conference spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar, who urged the chief minister to take note of videos on social media showing the alleged harassment of Kashmiris in other parts of the country.

Abdullah said he was in touch with his counterparts in states from which such reports were originating.

The terror attack in Pahalgam killed 26 persons and left 17 others injured on Tuesday. This was the first major attack targeting civilians in Kashmir since the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019.

In the wake of the attack, a Hindutva group named Hindu Raksha Dal on Tuesday gave an ultimatum to Kashmiri Muslims to leave Uttarakhand by Wednesday, The Indian Express reported.

“The incident in Pahalgam has hurt us… If we see any Kashmiri Muslim in the state after 10 am tomorrow, we will give them the right treatment,” Lalit Sharma, a leader of the group said. He warned Kashmiri Muslims to leave the state by 10 am on Wednesday, failing which they would “face action you can’t imagine”.

The Indian Express quoted an unidentified student from the Doon PG College in Dehradun as saying that at least five Kashmiri students had left for the airport.

Following the threats, the Dehradun Police removed 25 social media posts that were said to have been inciting violence.

Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh said that the police were in contact with deans and wardens of institutions where Kashmiri students are enrolled. “All are assured of safety and security, and if anyone does anything against the law, we will take strict action,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The official, however, did not comment on the Hindu Raksha Dal video.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has issued eight helpline numbers for students from the union territory who live in other parts of the country.

After the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019, several Kashmiri students in the country had faced physical intimidation and threats from Hindutva groups.

At the time, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs eventually issued an advisory to all states and union territories to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students and residents.

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