Traders manhandled in McLeodganj

Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, February 20

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Certain miscreants tried to take advantage of the situation created in the aftermath of Pulwama incident in McLeodganj. The miscreants led by a hotelier, who runs an illegal disco in the area, manhandled a few Kashmiri traders in the afternoon creating tension on McLeodganj.

Sources here said that certain property owners, who had Kashmiri businessmen as their tenants, instigated a protest against them in McLeodganj. They threatened the Kashmiri businessmen running hotels and shops in McLeodganj to leave the area within the next three days. Some of Kashmiri traders were also hackled, the sources here said. However, timely intervention by the district police helped defuse tension.

DIG acting as SP Kangra, Santosh Patial said that they received the information that some people were threatening Kashmiri traders in McLeodganj. A meeting of the locals from Upper Dharamsala and Kashmiri traders was organized in the office of DSP Dharamsala and situation was defused.

Both the residents of McLeodganj and Kashmiri traders organized a march yesterday evening and raised slogans against Pakistan for spreading terrorism, he said.

General secretary of the Upper Dharamsala Hotel Association Sanjeev Gandhi, while talking to The Tribune, said that there was tension among the Kashmiri traders and shopkeepers staying in McLeodganj after Phulwana killed of CRPF jawans. The locals were aggrieved by the fact that Kashmiri traders staying in McLeodganj were not participating in the candle light march organized by locals to pay homage to the martyrs. However, after police intervention the situation was defused.

Kashmiri traders raised slogans against Pakistan at the main square of McLeodganj yesterday late in the evening assuaging the feelings of some locals. A Kashmiri hotelier also volunteered to provide financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to the family of deceased CRPF jawan from Himachal, Tilak Raj, he said.

There are a large number of Kashmiri traders who run gift shops, travel agencies and hotels in McLeodganj. They are living in peace with local community since decades. Many of the foreign tourists coming to McLeodganj are main clients of Kashmiri traders.