Kashmiri traders working across northern India are facing increasing hostility and violence, forcing many to change their routines for safety. In Hisar, Haryana, 28-year-old Ayaz Ahmad, who sells shawls and handicrafts door to door, now uses a WhatsApp group to warn fellow Kashmiri vendors about areas to avoid. He told Al Jazeera that harassment has become a daily concern, making personal safety a higher priority than business.

The shift follows a violent incident in Uttarakhand’s Vikasnagar, where an 18-year-old Kashmiri shawl seller, Tabish Ahmad Gani, was beaten with an iron rod by a Hindu shopkeeper who declared that Kashmiris could not work in the village. The attack left Tabish seriously injured, requiring stitches and leaving him unable to walk. He said he was targeted solely for being a Kashmiri Muslim.

According to the report, such assaults are not isolated but reflect a broader pattern of hate against Kashmiri traders and migrant workers across India, fueled by political rhetoric portraying Kashmiris as traitors and security threats.