Modi asks state govts to take stern action if Kashmiris are attacked

Kashmiri dry fruit vendors Mohd Afzal and Abdul Salam, who were beaten up on Wednesday, back to their selling business. Pic/PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked state governments to take stern action if there is any attack on Kashmiris, calling those who targeted them recently in Lucknow "crazed people".

In an apparent reference to remarks by Opposition leaders after the recent airstrikes on the Balakot terror camp in Pakistan, Modi also lashed at those "demeaning" the valour displayed by the armed forces after the Jaish-e-Mohammed attack against the CRPF in Kashmir.

Addressing a public meeting here, Modi brought up the Lucknow incident in which two Kashmiri vendors were thrashed on Wednesday, allegedly targeted by members of a right-wing group over the Pulwama attack. The PM called the Lucknow perpetrators "sirphirey log" (crazed people), in near identical remarks at the meeting and on Twitter. "It is very important to maintain an atmosphere of unity in the country," Modi said.

He congratulated the Yogi Adityanath government for acting promptly over what "some crazed people did to our Kashmiri brothers" in the Uttar Pradesh capital. "I would also like to request other state governments to take the strongest possible action wherever there is an attempt to do something like this," he said.

Hizb paid blast suspect Rs 50,000
Yasir Javaid Bhat, a teenage suspect arrested for throwing a grenade at the Jammu bus stand that left two people dead, confessed to interrogators on Friday that an overground worker of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit paid him Rs 50,000. Besides the two killed, over 30 people were injured in the grenade attack on Thursday.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever