KV Correspondent

Braid Chopping: Five more case reported, police still clueless 

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Srinagar: In a spate of fresh braid chopping incidents across the valley, at least five incidents were reported from different parts.

According to the reports, two incidents of braid chopping were reported from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on early Saturday.

Reports said, that people, mostly women, took to streets in Manghama and Pahoo villages after braids of two women were allegedly chopped off. They said that the protesters raised pro-freedom and anti-government slogans. The protesters alleged that the government has failed to provide safety to them.

In Manghama, Shafeeqa wife of Abdul Rashid Sofi was along with her sister–in-law at her house doing daily chores when she was attacked by a ‘man with blue eyes and  long beard’.

“A shadow like thing was walking behind me,” horror stricken, Shafeeqa said, adding she paid no attention to it thinking it might be some bird.

After few seconds she noticed somebody pulling her by her hair and she realized that she has been made a victim by braid choppers.

She then started repulsing the aggressor with her full might but she was overpowered after receiving several blows to her chest.

“His eyes were blue with a long beard,” she said, adding that he had a white cloth in his hands which was put onto her mouth. She didn’t know what happened thereafter.

Meanwhile, the braid of a woman was chopped off in Chatabal area of Srinagar in the early hours of Saturday. Reports said that people took to the streets against the incident and demanded immediate arrest of the accused.

In north Kashmir, braid choppers chopped the braid of a girl in Beighpora Karalgund in north Kashmir’s District Kupwara.

According to reports, the “braid choppers” caught hold of a girl at her home at Beighpora Karalgund and chopped her hair. The girl was identified as Madina, Daughter of Bilal Ahmad Khawaja.

Meanwhile, Police in Kangan area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Saturday registered cases against six persons for spreading false rumours over braid chopping and disturbing law and order.

The action comes hours after a mentally deranged man was thrashed by a crowd after accusing him of being a braid chopper at Main market Kangan.

According to the reports, a person moving “suspiciously” with a hand bag was mistaken as a braid chopper and a crowd, mostly the passers-by, caught hold of him and thrashed him.

 Later, police reached at the spot and took the person into custody.

 A police official said that an FIR has been lodged against six persons over rumour mongering and disturbance of law and order.

Pertinently, police has formed a special team headed by a woman police officer who is assigned the job of examining the braid chopping cases.

DIG Central Kashmir G H Bhat said that police department has constituted a special team headed by a lady inspector entrusted the job of examining victims and investigating the cases.

Saying the law and order situations resulting from braid chopping incidents have prevented the police department in examining the cases, the DIG appealed the people to cooperate and let the police investigate the incidents properly.

“In most of the cases, we have not been provided support by the victims or close family members. One of the points which people may be reluctant in going to the police stations. We have decided that a lady police officer would be available for these victims to be examined or statements recorded,” DIG Central Kashmir Ghulam Hassan Bhat had said.


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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