The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Friday has expressed serious alarm and outrage over the grant of bail to the prime accused, Sanjay Yadav, in the brutal and communal assault on an 18-year-old Kashmiri shawl seller in Vikas Nagar, Uttarakhand, despite widespread public outrage and the gravity of the crime.
National Convenor of Association Nasir Khuehami said that the accused being granted bail in less than a week exposes glaring flaws in the prosecution and raises disturbing questions about whether the case is being systematically diluted, softened, and quietly neutralised. Association fears that undue influence and pressure may be undermining the pursuit of justice at a very early stage.
While an FIR was formally registered, Khuehami noted that only weak and lenient sections were invoked, completely disproportionate to the murderous nature of the assault, the communal targeting involved, and the vulnerability of the victim. The victim and his family were repeatedly assured that stringent legal provisions, including the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, would be applied. However, no appropriate sections were added, and the Act was ultimately not invoked, despite clear grounds for its application.
He asserted that; This deliberate dilution of charges has directly facilitated the accused’s release on bail.
“It sends a deeply dangerous signal that violent, identity-based attacks against Kashmiri shawl sellers can be managed through procedural leniency rather than punished through the full force of law.”
The association warned that such outcomes normalise communal violence, erode public confidence in the justice system, and embolden fringe elements who believe they can act with impunity. “No deterrence has been created, no precedent established, and no meaningful accountability ensured. Instead, the message conveyed is one of silence, compromise, and surrender before pressure,” it said.
Khuehami further noted that this case is not an isolated failure, but part of a larger and recurring pattern across several states, where attacks on Kashmiri traders and workers are followed by delayed action, diluted charges, and eventual legal relief to the accused. This pattern, the association said, reflects a systemic breakdown of equal protection of law for Kashmiri citizens.
The association urged Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to personally intervene, order an immediate review of the legal provisions applied, ensure the invocation of appropriate and stringent sections, and guarantee a time-bound, transparent, and independent prosecution free from any external influence. The rule of law must not bend under pressure, convenience, or political calculations. Kashmiri citizens are entitled to the same protection, dignity, and legal certainty as any other Indian, it added.(JKNS)
