Kashmiris thrashed in Yavatmal

Following the Pulwama suicide bomber attack, in which 44 soldiers were killed, incidents of violence against Kashmiris have been reported in various parts of the country. In the first such incident of its kind in Maharashtra, Kashmiri students in Yavatmal were thrashed by members of the Yuva Sena on Wednesday. The Yuva Sainiks also asked them to leave. The incident occurred in the Vaibhav Nagar area of Yavatmal.

Around 10-12 Yuva Sainiks pushed, shoved and roughed up three to four Kashmiri students on Wednesday night. Not stopping at this, the Yuva Sainiks posted videos showing them attacking these Kashmiri students. The students went to Lohara police station and lodged a complaint and ever since, the attacking Sainiks have been on the run. A search is on for the Yuva Sena members who tried to take law in their hands.

When asked to comment on the incident, Yuva Sena president, Aaditya Thackeray said, "There is resentment across the country over the Pulwama terror attack. While it is necessary to teach Pakistan a lesson, one should ensure nobody is troubled while doing so."Even as he shrugged off responsibility for the brutal thrashing of the Kashmiri students by members of his organisation, he said he would conduct an investigation into the Yavatmal incident and take action after ascertaining the truth and called for unity among Indians.

Sanjay Nirupam, president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee, condemned the attack by the Yuva Sena and asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to intervene in the matter. “Kashmiri youths are Indian and Kashmir is a part of India. We are behaving exactly in the way Pakistan would want us to. Such behaviour is condemnable,” said Nirupam. He demanded that strict action be taken against the culprits responsible for the attack.