Kashmiri Street Vendors Brutally Thrashed in Lucknow in Broad Daylight, One Arrested After Video Goes Viral

Lucknow, March 7: Two Kashmiri vendors selling dry fruits in Lucknow were assaulted in broad daylight on Wednesday by group of of men wearing saffron shirts. According to reports, the incident took place in Daliganj in central Lucknow at around 5 pm on March 6. The videos showing the two Kashmiris being abused, slapped and beaten have gone viral on social media. The Lucknow Police arrested  a local resident, Bajrang Sonker for thrashing the Kashmiri street vendors.

In the video, that is being widely circulated on social media, two men in saffron kurtas are seen thrashing one of the vendors. While one of the vendors manages to escape the attackers after a few blows, the other one is seen collecting his things while being slapped by one of the men. Reports inform that the attackers belong to a new Hindutva outfit. Nation Angry After Pulwama Attack, But No Kashmiri Student Attacked: HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar.

Watch Video: Men in saffron kurtas assault Kashmiri Vendors

SSP Kalanidhi Naithani was quoted by ANI saying that that man seen in viral video thrashing Kashmiri street vendors has been arrested. "The culprit Bajrang Sonkar has been arrested by police. Sonkar has criminal background and has 12 cases including a murder case against him," Naithani said.

In the wake of the brutal incident, Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to punish those guilty of this assault. Pulwama Aftermath: 250 Kashmiri Students Get Help From CRPF's 'Madadgar' Initiative to Reach Home in Jammu And Kashmir.

Here's Omar Abdullah's Tweet:

"Jenab @rajnathsingh Sahib. You represent this constituency in the Lok Sabha, this is the constituency where Vajpayee Sb was elected from & went on to be PM. If no one else will step in & deliver justice can we expect you to punish those guilty of this assault?", Abdullah tweeted. Singh represents the Lucknow constituency in the Lok Sabha which was also the constituency where late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was elected from & went on to be PM. Narendra Modi Says 'Our Fight is For Kashmir and Not Against Kashmiris'; Watch Video. 

Amid reports that Kashmiris were being targeted after the Pulwama attack, the Supreme Court on Friday had directed all states and Union territories to ensure that they feel secure and urged states to take strong measures to prevent any such attacks.

There have been several reports of Kashmiris facing harassment and social boycott in different parts of the country in the aftermath of the February 14 terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that left over 40 CPRF jawans dead. On February 20, two Kashmiri shawl vendors had said that they were beaten up and called 'stone pelters' by unidentified men on a train, forcing them to cut short their business trip to Rohtak.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 07, 2019 11:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).