Published by: Counter Current Online Portal.
Republished by: Sabrang India Online Portal
Republished by: The London Institute of South Asia
On 14th February
2019, vehicles of security forces which were on its way to reach Srinagar came
under a heavy attach when a vehicle-borne bomber attacked the vehicles at
Lethpora Pulwama. As a result of the attack, 49 CRPF personal died along with
the person who carried the attack. As soon as the attack took place, the
Kashmiri students studying in different states of India starts receiving life
threats. Several Kashmiri students who were studying particularly in northern
states of India were asked to leave the state as soon as possible. Not only
students but migrants, traders and professionals were also forced to leave the
state on priority basis. In Dehradun,
the Kashmiri students studying were forced to leave the state and were asked to
fly back to J&K. The college administration in Dehradun also told that they
will not admit any Kashmiri student in the near future. In another instance, a
senior faculty member was dismissed from his post because of his Kashmiri identity.
The situation was
getting worse and there was not even a single sign of relief for Kashmiri
Students. On 15th February, a video became viral on Social Media where
some persons in Bihar were seen thrashing the Kashmiri based shopkeepers. They
were seen asking them to leave the state as soon as possible or face dire
consequences. In Maharashtra,
Students were seen being slapped. They were forced to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ and
shout ‘Hindustan Zindabad’. In
Haryana, over 100 Kashmiri students including girls who were residing
in PG accommodations were asked to leave the accommodation. They were forced to
seek refuge with the authorities of a private deemed university where they were
studying. Not only this, three Kashmiri shawl vendors who were only their way
to Haryana were beaten. In the Uttarakhand capital,
Kashmiri students were asked to vacate their accommodations by the owners as
they were fearing of attacks on their properties by the local people. A Kashmir
based former Assistant Professor from LPU Salman Shaheen was forced to take
refuge in the washroom to save himself from a mob.
Leaving this aside, the
Sikh community in Punjab rescued many Kashmiri students. Khalsa Aid, an
international humanitarian NGO take the lead in rescuing Kashmiri Students. The
NGO rescued many students who had locked themselves in their rooms for fear of
being targeted by the locals in Dehradun. The Punjab-based NGO helped the
fear-stricken students studying in Dehradun to head back to their native places
under full security cover. The NGO apart from providing transportation also
arranged for their accommodation and food. The NGO came in touch with Jammu and
Kashmir Students’ Organisation (JKSO) and provided transportation to at least
250 students. Local gurudwaras in Punjab were thrown open for Kashmiri
students. Not only this, but the local Sikh community also provided shelter to
Kashmiri Students. An image from Punjab went viral on Social Media where three
persons from Sikh Community were guarding the building during night hours. Amar
Preet belonging to Sikh community was constantly tweeting about
the steps taken by them in safeguard Kashmiri students.
The help provided by
the Sikh community was appreciated by each and everyone in Kashmir. The Social
Media websites like Facebook and Twitter were flooded with appreciation posts
from local people in Kashmir. On the evening of February 20th, social media websites
were flooded with offers of free snow-bike rides, free hotel stays
for Sikh tourists, free medical check-ups, discounts on medicine for patients
belonging to Sikh community. The people of Kashmir also appreciated the Sikh
community by providing free admission in educational institutes and
English-speaking courses for the kids of Sikh Community. It was also seen that
people of Kashmir were offering free blood donation and even kidneys to the
people of the Sikh community.
The local Kashmiri
press also took the lead by expressing its gratitude to the Sikh Community.
Kashmir’s based leading English daily, Greater
Kashmir made a cartoon of a turban-wearing man in a boat holding out
a hand to a drowning Kashmiri man. Similarly, Mudasir Ahmad from Anantnag
district of the state who works as a mechanic decided to waive labor charges
for washing or repairing vehicles owned by Sikh customers. Shaheen Ahmad
Lone, who owns a private school in north Kashmir’s Kanispora area where around
500 Sikh families live offered free admission and free education to Sikh
students from nursery to Class 10.
Meanwhile, The Sikh
community responded to the generosity of the Kashmiri and once again won the
hearts of the people and restored the faith in humanity. In a Viral Video on
Social Media, the Sikh community thanked the people of the valley for showing
the love for them.
Ishfaq Majid, Research
Scholar, School of Education, Central University of Gujarat
