After ‘overwhelming’ support, assurance from cops, Kashmiri students in state halt flight back home

Dehradun: The community has rallied around Kashmiri students in Uttarakhand after a video, widely circulated following the Pahalgam attack, showed Hindu Raksha Dal member Lalit Sharma issuing a threat. In the video, Sharma warned all Kashmiri Muslims to leave the state by 10am on Thursday or "face consequences."
Sharma was subsequently booked under BNS sections for hate speech, public provocation, and inciting communal enmity.
In the hours following the video's circulation, at least 25 Kashmiri students and professionals left for home by Thursday evening. Some had spent the night at Dehradun's Jolly Grant Airport after fleeing their hostels in panic.
However, many others chose to stay back after receiving strong assurances from police and support from fellow students. A Kashmiri student enrolled in a paramedic programme in the city told TOI, "We were scared, but senior police officers spoke to us and our non-Kashmiri classmates supported us. That gave us confidence to stay." He added that after 25 of them left on Thursday evening, "two more planned to leave by Friday morning but they dropped it after they were assured of their safety."
Another student who also decided to stay said, "The way our non-Kashmiri friends stood with us after coming across the video, it overwhelmed us. Initially, we were scared for our safety for obvious reasons, but their support gave us the confidence to feel that we are safe here."
Meanwhile, local police remained on high alert on Friday amid the continuing tension and threats to Kashmiri students. On Thursday, DGP Deepam Seth had confirmed that all 1,665 Kashmiri students in the state were safe, with heightened vigilance in place.
"Police are in constant contact with the students as well as the management of their colleges here. Strict action will be taken against anyone attempting to disturb law and order," said Dehradun SSP Ajai Singh.
Meanwhile, following the Centre's decision to revoke all existing valid visas issued to Pakistani citizens with effect from April 27—and medical visas from April 29—Uttarakhand Police on Friday said that around 250 Pakistani citizens are currently in the state. The decision, however, excludes Long Term Visas (LTV), diplomatic, and official visas.
Seth said, "Most of them are living in Dehradun, Nainital, and Haridwar districts. Of them, 247—mostly Hindus—are here on LTVs, while three are on Short Term Visas. As per the Centre's directive, 247 of them can stay, while the three are being sent back. Two of them have already left, and the process is underway to send the remaining one.