In wake of Pulwama tension, people across India offer to open their homes to Kashmiris under threat
Two days after the attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Kashmir’s Pulwama district on February 14 that left at least 40 security personnel dead, disconcerting reports began to emerge from across India: Kashmiri students and businessmen were said to be facing harassment from Hindutva mobs holding them collectively responsible for the tragedy in the Valley. Just as quickly, another trend swept over social media. People from New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and other places tweeted that Kashmiris feeling threatened were welcome to find shelter in their homes.
Among those who invited Kashmiris to their homes in Delhi were high-profile journalist television journalists Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai. Acknowledging the widespread fear among Kashmiris living in other parts of India, the Central Reserve Police Force on Saturday set up a helpline for people from that state who required assistance.
On Saturday, Kashmiri students in several parts of North India reported assaults and threats. In Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 12 students claimed that they were beaten by activists from right-wing organisations like Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Students from Aligarh Muslim University in Uttar Pradesh also said that they were concerned about harassment of Muslim and Kashmiri students.…
