'I Realised What It Means To Be Kashmiri Outside Kashmir': Kashmiri Student After Pulwama Attack

For Nasir Khuehmi, 21, of north Kashmir바카라�s Bandipora district, ­Dehra­dun was like a second home. He liked the climate, the people and their hospitality. 바카라�People have been good to us and I never felt homesick,바카라� says Nasir, a journalism student at the HNB Garhwal Central University for the past four years. The outspoken Nasir had started taking interest in Dehradun바카라�s social life. 바카라�I helped organise programmes for drug deaddiction, women바카라�s safety etc,바카라� he says, smiling. 바카라�I never felt like an alien.바카라� This changed after the February 14 suicide attack in Pulwama. Kashmiri students across India felt the repercussions almost immediately. Dehradun saw the worst of it.  바카라�I never thought I would have to see posters outside shops saying, 바카라�Dogs are allowed, but not Kashmiris바카라�,바카라� says Nasir. Fear gripped Kashmiri students in the city after 12 from among them were thrashed by mobs.

Nasir was at home in Bandipora when he heard about fellow students going into hiding. Next day, he left for Dehradun with a few friends. 바카라�We created a WhatsApp help group and received 1,700 calls over the next three days, all seeking help as right-wing elements were hounding them,바카라� he says. 바카라�Girls were crying for help, it made my heart sink. That day I realised what it means to be a Kashmiri outside Kashmir.바카라�

Nasir says the police were helpful when he and his friends sought their assistance for reaching different areas to ­evacuate Kashmiri students and businessmen. 바카라�It was ­impossible to rescue students without the support that the Dehradun SSP provided,바카라� he says.

Worried about him, Nasir바카라�s parents called him many times. 바카라�I would always tell them I am in Srinagar, though I was in Dehradun,바카라� he says. 바카라�The trouble in going back is that we have to be among those who didn바카라�t waste a minute to attack us, and those who created an atmosphere against us that led to the att­acks.... But we have no other choice.바카라�