Kashmiri shawl vendors attacked in train

New Delhi, Feb 20: Two Kashmiri shawl vendors have claimed they were beaten up and called "stone pelters" by unidentified men on a train, forcing them to cut short their business trip to Rohtak, officials said Wednesday.

The incident comes amid reports of some Kashmiri people claiming they were being targeted in many parts of the country in the aftermath of the February 14 terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that left over 40 personnel dead.

"Three Kashmiri shawl vendors boarded the general compartment of a local train from Sarai Rohilla station at around 10.40 am for a business trip to Sampla in Haryana. They claimed they were pushed into a corner and called 'stone pelters'," said Dinesh Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Railways).

"When they objected, the accused allegedly abused and slapped two Kashmiri vendors. The attackers said 'you hurl stones there (in Kashmir) and come to earning a livelihood here'. Other passengers also joined in and created a ruckus," the DCP (Railways) said.

Thereafter, the three Kashmiri men de-boarded at Nangloi station, leaving their bags containing shawls and suits worth around Rs 2 lakh in the train, Gupta added.

A case has been registered and the matter is being probed, he said.

The three men said they came to Delhi in December last year and were staying in Sarai Rohilla. They have been coming here for business purposes for the last 10 years.

The three Kashmiri men approached Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat through their local MLA. Karat helped them file a complaint with police.

"The men claimed the attackers told them they were from the armed forces. They said 'you are the ones who killed our men'.

"Around 15-20 other men also joined in and beat the Kashmiri men with belts. The incident took place when they were crossing Mangolpuri. One of the three Kashmiris suffered severe head injuries and another sustained wounds on face," she said.

Police said the attackers were yet to be identified, and it was not clear if they were from the armed forces since they were in plain clothes.