Don’t Go to Amarnath, Boycott Everything Kashmiri: Meghalaya Governor Encourages Discrimination

New Delhi: The Governor of Meghalaya, Tathagata Roy, sparked a controversy for his appeal to the public to “boycott everything Kashmiri" days after the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama region claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.

“Don’t visit Kashmir, don’t go to Amarnath for the next 2 years. Don’t buy articles from Kashmir emporia or Kashmiri tradesman who come every winter. Boycott everything Kashmiri," the BJP leader wrote in a tweet. He said this appeal was made by a retired colonel of the Army and he was “inclined to agree with it".

The discriminatory appeal by the Governor comes amid the backlash faced by innocent Kashmiris across the country in the aftermath of the terror attack, in which a local youth had exploded an RDX-filled car near a CRPF convoy.

Following the controversy, the Governor in another tweet defended himself saying that his comment was "a purely non-violent reaction to the killing of our soldiers by the hundreds and the driving out of 3.5 lakh Kashmiri Pandits."

There have been cases of Kashmiri students and businessmen being targeted, especially in Dehradun, with reports of some students even demanding the expulsion of their Kashmiri peers from universities. Several cases have been registered and some students have also been arrested for their Facebook posts.

Reports continue to emerge of Kashmiris facing harassment and abuse. In the most recent incident, a Kashmiri dean in Dehradun was suspended, allegedly after pressure from right-wing mobs comprising VHP, ABVP and Bajrang Dal members.

Kashmiri students were also asked to leave Dehradun and many others fled to other cities, including the nearby Chandigarh after receiving threats.

Roy is also not new to controversies and has made headlines for his comments several times.

Earlier in 2011, following the Mumbai terror attacks, the Governor sparked a row when he said that the Muslims killed in the Mumbai terror attacks were not innocent.

“10th anniversary today of Paki-sponsored slaughter of innocents (except Muslims) at Mumbai, popularly called 26/11. Does anyone remember why we didn’t even downgrade our diplomatic relations with the Pakis (let alone break off such relations or go to war)?"