More than a hundred traders from Kashmir Valley have been forced to close their shops in Ramgarh area in Panchkula district of Haryana.

A number of callers told GNS that the landlords of their rented accommodations asked them to vacate, saying that they have been continuously pressurized by the locals not to allow Kashmiris stay put.

“We have been receiving continuous threats by the shopkeepers where our shops lie and we were asked to vacate,” Zahoor Ahmad Dar, a trader from Awoora Kupwara, told GNS over phone.

“We have left our entire goods there,” he said. Accompanied by others, he said, “We are now putting up in local Masjids.”

He said that all the traders from Kashmir visited the local police station, seeking help. “But no help was provided to us,” he said. “We fear for our lives and government should ensure the safety of our person and goods.”

He also urged all state governments to issue formal orders not to allow any Kashmiri. “We will stay back in Kashmir,” he added.