Al Haqeeqa
Two traders from the Kashmir valley were harassed in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district by a local woman claiming to be the wife of the village sarpanch.
A video of the incident surfaced on social media on Monday, November 25, that shows the woman aggressively confronting the men, who had travelled to Himachal Pradesh to sell pashminas, a traditional Kashmiri shawls.
Woman threatens traders
The video shows the woman threatening the traders to either leave Himachal Pradesh or chant “Jai Shri Ram”, a Hindu religious chant. “We are Hindus and we have our Hindu community selling the same things. Why would Muslims come from somewhere else and do business here?” she is heard saying. She also urged villagers behind the camera to boycott businesses from Kashmir.
Despite the trader’s attempts to assert their identity as fellow Indians, the women remain unyielding. When one of them explained their right to operate as citizens of India, she reiterated her demand “If you are Indians, then chant Jai Shri Ram loudly”. However, the traders including an elderly man refused to comply with their demands, leading to escalated harassment from the woman.
Authorities in Hamirpur are yet to respond officially to this incident.
Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi accused the BJP of inciting communal hatred among people. While taking to an X, he wrote,” Idea of BJP’s India explained in this 2-3 minute video: Kashmir is not part of India. Too much for “integration of Kashmir” after the abrogation of 370. The criteria for holding Indian citizenship is chanting a slogan of a particular religion”.
“If there is some India still left which functions on its law and principles. This lady should be booked under Sections 196, 197 and 302, Ruhullah added.
Chief spokesperson of the Democratic Progressive Azad Party Salman Nizami addressed the incident on X and wrote, “A woman asks two Kashmiri cloth sellers to either return to Kashmir or chant ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ She even advises another woman not to buy anything from them. One seller responds, “Kashmir is part of India. Why can’t we do business here?”
He further said that thousands of labourers work in Kashmir without facing mistreatment or being forced to chant religious slogans. “This shameful incident exposes the growing communal hatred spreading across the country against Muslims. Very sad and Shameful,” Nizami added.
This is not the first time the Kashmiri traders have faced such hostility. Most of the traders who travel across India to sell traditional goods like Pashmina shawls, dry fruits or other things often face hostility and exclusion based on their religious identity, particularly in regions where communal tensions are high.
