Bareilly, Feb 2 (IANS) All India Muslim Jamaat (AIMJ) National President Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi on Monday criticised the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh governments over recent attacks on Kashmiri shawl sellers in both states, alleging that the administrations have failed to maintain law and order and protect vulnerable traders.
His remarks come days after two Kashmiri shawl sellers were attacked in Uttarakhand, while another seller was allegedly harassed and assaulted in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district, raising serious concerns about the safety of non-local traders. The latest incident was reported from Kangra, where the victim was identified as Mohd Ramzan, a shawl seller from Kashmir.
Earlier, two brothers from Kashmir who had travelled to Dehradun to sell shawls were reportedly assaulted by a group of people after their place of origin became known. These incidents have sparked outrage and renewed debate over the safety of migrant traders in northern states.
Speaking to IANS, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi underlined that such attacks reflect growing intolerance and administrative failure.
“In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, a small shopkeeper named Muhammad was attacked by antisocial elements with criminal tendencies. They tried to beat him and force him to leave, questioning why he was working there. These people hold sectarian views and are deliberately creating divisions between Hindus and Muslims,” he said.
Razvi added that similar incidents were being reported frequently from areas such as Haridwar and Dehradun.
“Poor Muslims are being targeted, while the administration remains a silent spectator. The Uttarakhand Chief Minister is unable to handle the situation. Such acts amount to people taking the law into their own hands,” he alleged.
Referring to the Himachal Pradesh incident, the AIMJ chief said that Kashmiri traders travel across the country during the winter season to earn a livelihood.
“People from Kashmir sell shawls, warm clothes and blankets in different parts of India every year. Recently, a Kashmiri shawl seller reached Shimla in Himachal Pradesh. He belongs to a poor and vulnerable background and depends on this seasonal work for survival,” Razvi said.
He alleged that the trader was assaulted by communal-minded individuals and falsely accused of possessing a firearm under Section 147.
“Physically assaulting a poor man and framing him with false charges is completely unjust. The Congress-led government in Himachal Pradesh has failed to maintain law and order. This is not the first time such incidents have occurred; they have happened repeatedly,” he said.
Razvi also commented on the Uttar Pradesh government stepping up its investigation into nearly 4,000 madrasas across the state, focusing on their funding sources and legal status.
“The Uttar Pradesh government is continuously ordering inspections of madrasas. This is, I think, the fifth order. What exactly the government wants to look for inside madrasas, or what it hopes to find, is not clear. Perhaps it is searching for something unusual or new. There is no objection to the government’s order. Having conducted inspections four times already, madrasas are prepared for a fifth inspection. We don’t have a problem, and whatever papers they will need, we will provide them,” the cleric told IANS.
–IANS
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