Akash Mehra Was Killed For Being Indian In A Land That Separatists Want Perceived ‘Differently’

Srinagar is in the news yet again sadly for the wrong reasons since Sunday. After battling for life for eleven days since Akash Mehra was shot at by assailants, he breathed his last at the SHMS Hospital.

Scenes of the candle light vigil that corporators from the region have held outside the restaurant whose shutters have stayed shut since the attack have been shared on social media on Monday evening.

But it sight feels eerie to see this place that was bustling with customers mourning its owner; for it was exactly this time of the year three years ago when we thanked our stars for this eatery that this young life was an heir to.

The last meal I had on my trip to this crown of our country was at Krishna Vaishno Dhaba - a must visit on every travellers list, a mandatory check-in place for every foodie who lands in the valley and a vegetarian gastronomic heaven when in Srinagar.

The news of Akash Mehra being shot at 17 days ago is bound to send a shiver down the spine of anyone who knows what this place stands for. Located in Dalgate, a high security area, a stone’s throw away from many high-profile offices and residences, the place was a landmark.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said during a press conference on February 19 that the attack was carried out by three newly recruited motorcycle borne terrorists. The IGP said the three had been arrested and the pistol and the motorcycle used in carrying out the attack had also been recovered.

That is, at least, what the letter that has been circulated on social media claims to say. Banned terror outfit Muslim Janbaz Force claimed it attacked Mehra, calling him “an outsider as he desired J&K domicile”.

But was Mehra an outsider?

Forever packed with tourists, the Dhaba usually has many queued up outside although there are few other dhabas around. And for South Indians who would have ’managed’ with available vegetarian options during their travel and stay, the sight of the letters DOSA on a menu in Kashmir feels plain divine. But this place, whose Parathas and Rajma Chawal do justice to their name, didn’t dish out tawa roasted batter along with some weird paste that is often passed off as ’south indian’ breakfast.

The tightly packed close-knit seating arrangement with its mild lemon coloured tables and benches had people licking the ‘authentic’ coconut chutney and sambhar off their fingers with perfectly made ‘Dosa’. It wont be hyperbolic to say that the six of us on the table had gobbled up food to last us the next 12 hours before we could head to the Srinagar museum and then the airport.

It was in the bucket list of all travellers who went to the valley and a boon for those looking for clean, vegetarian, and a delectable array of pan-Indian food. Clearly, he was no outsider. And ensured you didn’t feel like one either.