Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Uttar Pradesh government has quickly acted against some “misguided” people who attacked two Kashmiris in Lucknow on Wednesday.
“It is important to maintain the country’s unity,” he said at an event in Kanpur. “I urge other states to take strict action against those who try to commit such violence.”
A Hindutva outfit called the Vishwa Hindu Dal had attacked two Kashmiri roadside vendors in Lucknow. A resident stopped the saffron-clad men from further assaulting the two men, who were selling dry fruits. The Lucknow Police said on Thursday that they had filed a case and arrested four people in connection with the assault.
Modi on February 23 had said that incidents of violence reported against Kashmiri students following the Pulwama terrorist attack in Kashmir should not have happened. “What happened to Kashmiri students in the last few days, such things should not happen in this country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Rajasthan’s Beawar town that “Kashmiris are, were and will remain our people”, ANI reported. “I want to convey a message to entire country, heard of a few incidents against Kashmiri children,” he said. “Kashmiris are, were and will remain our people. Have requested chief ministers of all states that Kashmiri students must be protected and loved.”
Sharing a video of the attack in Lucknow, Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said he strongly condemned all acts of violence against “our Kashmiri brothers and sisters”. “While I’m disgusted by this video of Kashmiri traders being attacked in UP, I salute the braveheart who challenged the attackers,” the Congress president said in a tweet. “India belongs to its citizens, from every corner of our nation.”
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had on Thursday also condemned the attack. “The attack on innocent Kashmiris is condemnable,” he had tweeted. “Our fight is against the separatists and terrorists. We need the people of Jammu and Kashmir with us in the fight against terror.”
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