“Universities are supposed to be safe spaces. If we’re not safe on campus, then where do we go?” asked X*, a Kashmiri Muslim student at a university in Uttarakhand.
X* and his Kashmiri batchmates haven’t slept for a minute since they heard about the 22 April terrorist attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam which claimed at least 26 lives. “It was ghastly act of terrorism. But why are we being punished for it? What is our fault?” X added, his voice quivering over the phone.
The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Soon after, Hindu Raksha Dal, a right-wing Hindutva group in Uttarakhand, issued an open threat to Kashmiri Muslims, asking them to leave the state by 10 pm on Wednesday, vowing to ‘pick them up one by one.’
The Quint spoke to Kashmiri Muslim students, who shared the nature of the threats they were receiving and their growing anxiety about returning home.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.
