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. He is currently under advanced treatment in Doon Hospital in Dehradun, where doctors describe his situation as serious.
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.
Meanwhile, the Jammu Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) condemned the incident and called it “communal profiling.”
“This is a chilling reminder of how communal profiling, intimidation, and mob brutality are being normalised against vulnerable communities trying to earn a dignified livelihood during harsh winter months. An 18-year-old helping his family survive the winter by selling shawls was met not with humanity, but with hatred,” the statement read.
“This case must be pursued with seriousness, and a clear precedent must be set so that such acts of hate and violence are not repeated with impunity,” the statement added.
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.
Pushkar Singh Dhami from the Bharatiya Janata Party is Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister. In a recent report by the India Hate Lab, Dhami was touted as the top leader to deliver hate speeches in 2025.
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