Following the terror attack by The Resistance Front, a militant group allegedly backed by the Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pahalgam, a popular tourist site in Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 Indian tourists on Tuesday, April 22, Kashmiri students outside the valley find themselves bearing the brunt of Indians’ collective anger against the attack.
Since the attack, there have been several incidents of Kashmiri students being harassed, assaulted, issued threats by the local population and organisations to leave or “face action” in states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
The severity of these attacks has even gotten the attention from politicians from Jammu & Kashmir, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah requesting his counterparts in these states to “take extra care”, and J&K People’s Development Party leader Mehbooba Mufti urging Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students outside the Union Territory.
On the ground, several student organisations and activists from Jammu & Kashmir have been coordinating rescue efforts and offering outreach assistance to students who have felt unsafe or faced threats in the last three days.
The Jammu & Kashmir Students’ Association (JKSA), in particular, has been receiving distress calls from students who were victims of these attacks and is raising red flags against them. Further, the association is also coordinating with the office of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to conduct rescue and relief operations for these students.
“We are in touch with all relevant authorities, and are working to bring Kashmiri students to safety,” says Nasir Kuhemani, National Convenor of JKSA.
He also took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account to post helpline numbers for Kashmiri students outside J&K to seek help through.
Sahil Parray, a student activist from Kashmir, is also assisting students in these times.
Until recently, Sahil had been involved with the movement to rationalise the reservation system in J&K’s public education and government posts, headlined by the Open Merit Students’ Association (OMSA).
Speaking to EdexLive, he says that this is not the first time he coordinated with Kashmiris outside the region and helped rescue them.
“I was also involved in providing relief to Kashmiris when the Pulwama attacks in February 2019, and during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
Sahil is a part of a WhatsApp group dedicated to coordinating relief and rescue operations for Kashmiri students. The group also has other activists, police officers, media personnel, bureaucrats, and even politicians, to ensure quick communication and more efficient coordination.
Further, he uses his reach on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account, which has over 3k followers, to connect to Kashmiris outside the state, and provides them assistance.
“After I posted a message to Kashmiri students outside the region asking them to contact me if they need help this morning, two people reached out from Delhi and Haryana,” he said.
He narrated that these students were fearing for their safety, and that the local police authorities were informed of their concerns. “The police told the students to reach out to them in case they face any threats or harm,” he added.
Most cases shared in the WhatsApp group involve ensuring the safety of these students. “Our efforts often involve getting in touch with the state police departments, and ensuring that our students are brought to safety. Sometimes, we also make efforts to bring them back to Kashmir,” he explained.
He urges Kashmiri students to reach out to him if they, or someone they know is in need of help, assistance or rescue. Further, he warns students against debating or arguing with people on social media or public platforms — as that can bring more harm to them.
Meanwhile, the Resident Commission, J&K government, issued helpline numbers for Kashmiri students outside the state for assistance.
