MP Ruhullah calls for strict legal action after Kashmiri traders harassed in Himachal

 Srinagar Member of
Parliament and senior JKNC leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Monday called for strict legal action after two Kashmiri traders were allegedly subjected to communal harassment in Surjanpur village, Himachal Pradesh, instigated by the wife of a local Sarpanch.

"If there is any part of India that still upholds the law, this woman should be booked under Sections 196, 197, and 302,” he said, adding, "The idea of India being promoted by the BJP is evident in this 2-3 minute video.”

"Idea of BJP’s India explained in this 2-3 minutes video.Kashmir is not part of India. Too much for “integration of Kashmir” after the abrogation of 370,” he said in a post on X. "The criteria for holding Indian citizenship is chanting a slogan of a particular religion,” he said.

Earlier the episode, captured on video and widely shared on social media, shows the woman threatening the men, calling for a boycott of their business, and asking them to chant “Jai Shri Ram.”

“Why should we buy from Kashmiris? Do they give us things for free? Even if they do, we shouldn’t buy anything from them,” the woman is heard saying in the video, as she encourages villagers to ostracize the Kashmiri traders.

One of the men, visibly upset, tries to reason with her, stating that they too are Indian citizens. However, the situation escalates, and they are eventually seen leaving the area.

“Do not come to Himachal. The land belongs to Hindus; you will not be allowed to sell any products here,” she adds.

The two men, one of whom is elderly like thousands of Kashmiris sell Kashmiri handicrafts items in different parts of the country to earn their livelihood.