Twenty-two Kashmiri shawl vendors in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur district have filed a police complaint alleging that local shopkeepers are preventing them from selling their goods and pressuring them to leave the area, The Indian Express reported.
The vendors, who did not name any individuals in their complaint, claimed they had submitted their credentials to the Ghumarwin police station before beginning their trade. Superintendent of Police Sandeep Dhawal attributed the conflict to business competition between the Kashmiri hawkers and local shopkeepers, organized under the Ghumarwin Beopar Mandal.
“A similar issue arose last year, but there has been no report of physical assault. We are working to mediate a resolution between the two parties through the deputy commissioner’s office,” said Dhawal.
Jabbar Kaka, a 56-year-old vendor from Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, shared his frustration: “We’ve been selling shawls here for 30 years, but over the past two years, opposition has grown. Though there has been no physical violence, the intimidation is increasing.”
Mushtaq, another vendor, explained that they travel to Himachal Pradesh every November and sell goods door-to-door until March.
Local shopkeepers, however, denied harassing the vendors. A member of the Ghumarwin Beopar Mandal claimed anonymously, “There has been no assault. These vendors buy goods from Ludhiana and sell them as ‘Kashmiri’ products. We don’t know about any formal police complaint.”
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti blamed right-wing groups for the harassment and urged both Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure the vendors’ safety. Kupwara MLA Mir Mohammad Fayaz also intervened, stating that Himachal’s governor had assured him that the police would register an FIR.
