Mehbooba Mufti says attack on Kashmiris in Lucknow 'communalises atmosphere before polls'; Omar Abdullah, Owaisi condemn incident

A day after two Kashmiri youths were attacked by saffron-clad men in Lucknow, the main accused Bajrang Sonkar was arrested by the local police after a video of the incident went viral on social media. Sonkar, who claims to be the president of the Vishwa Hindu Dal (VHD), and other members of the fringe outfit attacked the two youths who were selling dry fruits in Lucknow’s Daliganj area. The youths were saved by a passer-by, who insisted that the VHD members not take law into their hands. The incident was a reminder of various incidents of harassment of Kashmiris all over India after the 14 February Pulwama attack. The incident invited the ire of many, with former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah blaming incidents like these for making Kashmiris feel like ‘they don’t belong to this country’, calling it ‘an attempt to communalise the atmosphere before polls’.

The arrest of the VHD members invited some relief on social media, with many even praising the man who defended the Kashmiri youths when they were being attacked.