Kashmiri students flee Indian mob as ‘climate of fear’ takes hold after suicide bombing that killed dozens of troops
- About 11,000 Kashmiri students enrol at Indian universities each year
- Many are now clamouring to return home to a region scarred by civil war
Similar scenes have played out across the nation as Kashmiris living away from home flee violent reprisals following the latest attack in the restive Himalayan region, which killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers.
Rather said angry crowds gathered outside hostels and flats rented by Kashmiri students in Dehradun, north of New Delhi, shouting for the “traitors” and “terrorists” hiding inside to be shot.
“It took us four days to reach home in Kashmir with some help from police and a Muslim businessman,” said Rather, who had lived in the northern city for two years, after reaching his home south of Srinagar. “Thirty of us slept in one room for two nights before we could mobilise help to flee.”
The businessman let them take refuge in his home until buses could be organised to get them to safety.
Around 11,000 Kashmiri students enrol at Indian universities outside their home state each year.
Many are now clamouring to return home to a region battle-scarred by 30 years of civil war, fearing violent attacks if they stay.
Video footage of Kashmiris being beaten and taunted in Indian cities has been widely shared on social media, while rightwing Hindu groups and pundits on TV news channels have encouraged reprisals.