Civil rights group People’s Union for Democratic Rights on Tuesday urged educational institutions to ensure the safety and well-being of Kashmiri students amid reports that they are being harassed in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

In a press release, the group expressed “deep concern over the unchecked Islamophobia, the violation of rights during the crackdown in the region and the harassment of Kashmiri students” after the attack.

Civilian life in the Union Territory was under “greater threat” as authorities in the region had “razed houses of suspected militants who are linked with the killings, raided properties of alleged sympathisers, and detained scores of people for questioning”, the group stated.

It added that “disconcerting news” was emerging from educational institutions in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, where “Kashmiri Muslim students were facing attacks and reprisals, both physically and virtually from hatemongers”.

The terror attack at Baisaran on April 22 left 26 persons dead and 17 injured. The terrorists targeted tourists after asking their names to ascertain their religion, the police said. All but three of those killed were Hindu.

In the wake of the attack, a Hindutva group named Hindu Raksha Dal gave an ultimatum to Kashmiri Muslims to leave Uttarakhand by April 23. Videos on social media also showed the alleged harassment of Kashmiris in other parts of the country.

In its release, the People’s Union for Democratic Rights noted that while the Uttarakhand director general of police had constituted a special team to ensure safety of Kashmiri students in Dehradun, “the nature of these reprisals recall the backlash that Kashmiri students faced after the Pulwama attacks of February 2019”.

After the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019, several Kashmiri students in the country faced physical intimidation and threats from Hindutva groups.

At the time, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory to all states and Union Territories to take necessary measures to ensure the safety of Kashmiri students and residents.

“It is difficult to estimate either the number or the nature of attacks that have happened in the last decade, but it is important to remember that after Pulwama, there were violent attacks on Kashmiri students and professionals,” said the People’s Union for Democratic Rights.

Calling the attack on April 22 “reprehensible”, the release said that there was strong condemnation from all sections and groups in Jammu and Kashmir.

“So, why then are Kashmiri students being targeted?” the civil rights group asked. “Why are many trying to return home now, leaving their semester studies aside?”

It said that Kashmiri students across the country were dependent upon their institutions for their safety and protection. “Many live in rented accommodations and are vulnerable to attacks and threats by vigilante groups,” it said.

“PUDR [People’s Union for Democratic Rights] appeals to civil society, the local administration and educational institutions to ensure the safety and well-being of all Kashmiri students,” the release stated.

It demanded an immediate end to the ongoing harassment of Kashmiris in different states and cities and called on educational institutions to ensure the safety and well-being of all students from the Union Territory.

The civil rights group also called for action to be taken by the local administration against assailants or vigilante groups issuing online threats.

On Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly unanimously passed a resolution seeking “to resolutely defeat the nefarious designs of those who seek to disturb the communal harmony and progress of the nation” and the Union Territory.

The resolution denounced the “barbaric and inhumane” attack in Pahalgam.