Kashmiri teen attacked with iron rod in Uttarakhand

A 17-year-old Kashmiri boy was attacked by a shopkeeper in Uttarakhand‘s Dehradun district, with the teenager suffering serious injuries after being hit on the head with an iron rod.

According to reports, the boy and another friend had gone to purchase chips from a grocery store in Vikas Nagar area. While discussing in their native Kashmiri language what else to buy, a man from the adjacent shop asked if they were Muslims and accused them of using curse words.

When the boys denied that, the man allegedly came out of his shop and hit the Kashmiri boy with the iron rod. The attack was so severe that the profusely bleeding child was rushed to a hospital, where he underwent around 15 stitches on the back of his head. He also suffered from a broken hand.

His friend was also attacked and is currently undergoing treatment.

A video of the teenage boy has emerged on social media, where he said he was reportedly beaten up solely for his religious identity. “Unhone bole, ‘Yeh Muslamaan hai, isko maao‘ (They said, ‘He is a Muslim, beat him up),” he said.

So far, no police action has been taken.

Last month, 28-year-old Bilal Ahmed Ganie was assaulted and intimidated by men associated with the Bajrang Dal for being a Kashmiri Muslim. They demanded he chant “Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” since he earns and sustains himself in the country.

“Tu Bharat ka khaata hai, Bharat ka kamaata hai, Bharat mata ki jai bol (You eat and earn from India, so say ‘Bharat mata ki jai’),” one of his attackers had said.