A group of Kashmiri dry fruit traders on Tuesday alleged that Uttar Pradesh police personnel were harassing and obstructing them from sell their products roadside. A State police officer, however, said they were selling in a no-vending zone and the restrictions were due to the security arrangements made for the New Year.
This comes nine months after two Kashmiri men selling dry fruits on the roadside in the State capital were assaulted over their identity by saffron-clad persons, leading to the arrest of four members of a right-wing group Vishwa Hindu Dal.
Traders from Jammu and Kashmir travel to Lucknow each year on the onset of winter to sell their cottage products like dry fruits and shawls.
The group of traders lay their spread roadside at the Samta Mulak crossing, near the Gomti river. However, they alleged that for the past few days policemen had been harassing them and even snatched away their Aadhaar cards, their proof of identity, without offering them an explanation.
“We came from so far to earn our livelihood. Police is harassing us. The Nagar Nigam (municipality corporation) people come and stuff our dry fruits into their vehicle. Nobody listens to us,” Ishtiaq Dar, one of the traders, told media.
Talking to The Hindu , Mr. Dar, who hails from Kulgam, said on Tuesday two policemen came and asked them to stop selling their goods.
“They tore the packets...we suffered losses. Four-five packets of each one of us,” he said.
The Kashmiri traders also said the policemen used sticks and snatched their Aadhaar cards.
A similar incident took place a few days earlier, they said. Around two weeks ago, Mr. Dar said the police took away Aadhaar cards of five Kashmiri traders and are yet to return them.
“They didn’t give us any reason,” he said. He also alleged that the policemen not only take away their dry fruit packets but also demand bribes, abused and hit them.
Moving around Lucknow without their identity proofs makes us vulnerable to further harassment, the men said.
“We can’t move around with our Aadhar card,” said another trader Riaz.
Circle Officer Gomti Nagar Santosh Singh said the “Samta Mulak crossing does not come under any vending zone.”
Considering rash driving and accidents due to New Year’s rush, footpaths are cleared every year (during this time) and stalls are also removed, he said. “The persons can be from any state, Haryana, Punjab, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or Kashmir, we behave with them in the same manner,” Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Dar said a senior police officer in Hazratganj spoke to them and assured that they would not be harassed. “He gave us his phone number and said, if you have a problem and if anyone harasses you, you call on this number and we will reach you with help,” Mr. Dar said.
“We just want to sell our products and want an end to this harassment,” he said.
