A shawl trader from Soibugh area of central Kashmir’s Budgam district has become the latest victim of a string of mob attacks in West Bengal following last week’s bombing on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama which left 49 troopers dead.
Javid Ahmad Khan (27) of Astanpora mohallah of Soibugh was accosted and mercilessly beaten by an abusive mob in Taherpur area of Nadia district last night.
A graphic video of the attack which was posted on social media showed blood oozing out from the nose of Khan as the mob abused and forced him to shout ‘Vande Mataram’.
One of his cousins told Greater Kashmir that Khan was staying at his rented accommodation along with his brother when the mob attack took place around 9 pm last night.
“Both Javid and his brother Mehraj ud Din had closed their shops following tension over Pulwama attack. But last night a mob attacked Javid at his rented accommodation,” he said, adding that the police arrived at the scene after an hour.
“They saved him from the mob and shifted him to a safer location. But before their arrival on the scene Javid was assaulted by the mob,” he said.
Eldest among five siblings, Khan like scores of other Soibugh residents, has been engaged in shawl trading in West Bengal for past many years. “He has been visiting Kolkata for past ten years,” said his cousin.
Police Sub-inspector Avijit Biswas told Greater Kashmir over the phone from Taherpur that Khan was safe now.
“We have shifted him to a safer location in Krishna Nagar. He is absolutely fine,” said Biswas, adding they have taken cognisance of the incident. “We are looking for the attackers,” he said.
The attack on Khan comes just two days after chief minister Mamata Banerjee blamed the workers of the BJP and RSS for a string of assaults in the state, including a mob attack on a teacher who was forced to chant ‘Bharat Mata ki jay’ and issue an apology for his social media post on Pulwama attack.
Similar attacks took place on Kashmir traders at Budh Marg in Bihar last week when a mob vandalized their shops of Kashmiri traders and threatened them to leave the state following an attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama that left 49 troopers dead.
