Hindu Raksha Dal leader booked in Uttarakhand for threatening Kashmiris

As tensions soar in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, the Uttarakhand Police on Thursday filed an FIR against Hindu Raksha Dal leader Lalit Sharma for threatening Kashmiri students and asking them leave the state by 10 a.m. on Thursday.

 

According to a report in The Indian Express, a video of Sharma went viral on social media in which he demanded Kashmiri Muslims leave the state by Thursday morning.

 

“The incident in Pahalgam has hurt us… If we see any Kashmiri Muslim in the state after 10 a.m. tomorrow, we will give them the right treatment. Tomorrow, all our workers will leave their homes to give this treatment to Kashmiri Muslims. We won’t wait for the government to take action… Kashmiri Muslims, leave by 10 a.m., else you will face action you can’t imagine," Sharma was reported as saying.

 

 

Following the video, an FIR was registered against him for attempting to incite religious sentiments through inflammatory speeches, Dehradun senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ajai Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

 

Sharma has been charged under sections 196 (1) (promoting enmity), 352 (criminal intimidation), 353 (2) (intentional insult with intent to provoke) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the report added.

 

The SSP also stated that 25 objectionable posts have been taken down from social media, and that strict action will be taken if anybody uploads such posts on social media.

 

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand additional director general of police (ADG), intelligence, AP Anshuman, said that they have increased security measures in the state and will ensure the safety of all Kashmiri students. 

 

Despite reassurances, fear drives Kashmiri students to flee

Despite assurances from the administration, at least 20 Kashmiri students from various institutes in the state had already left out of fear, said Mohsin Abbas, admissions coordinator at Doon Group of Colleges in Dehradun.

 

A pharmacy student in Dehradun, who took a flight to Delhi with 20 other Kashmiri students, told Hindustan Times, “Our exams are scheduled to take place in a month and a half, but it will disrupt our studies. We will not be able to attend regular classes. If things get back to normal, we will return."

 

“Professors in our college said they were concerned about our safety, advising us to relocate to a different area about 50 km away where the situation was stable. They were thinking of sending us to Chandigarh but we decided to leave the campus at around 2 a.m. on Thursday and take a flight to Delhi. Our professor gave us his car and guard,” another undergraduate science student in Dehradun told The Indian Express.