Seven incidents of braid chopping on Tuesday
Srinagar: At least seven incidents of braid chopping were reported on Tuesday as protests against such incidents continued across the Valley.
According to the reports, the braid of a 30-year-old Afzoora Begum wife of Zahoor Ahmed, a resident of Seer Jagir Sopore was cut in the early hours of Tuesday. Witnesses said that the victim was found unconscious and she was rushed to Sub District Hospital Sopore for treatment.
This was the first braid chopping incident reported from north Kashmir’s Sopore town, police sources said.
Meanwhile, the braid of a 27-year-old woman was chopped off in Wangipora area of Sumbal in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Tuesday afternoon.
Reports said that the woman (name withheld) was in the washroom when two unknown persons sprayed something on her, knocking her unconscious.
“Her family members found her unconscious in the washroom with her hair chopped off. She was taken to CHC Sumbal in an unconscious state,” they said.
Meanwhile, locals and family members held a protest demonstration in the lawns of CHC Sumbal against the incident. They raised anti-India and anti-government slogans.
Protests also erupted in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir on Tuesday as braids of two minor girls were found mysteriously chopped off in Arhama in Lar and Kujar areas of the district.
Locals at Arhama alleged that unknown persons entered into a residential house at Arhama and chopped off the braid of 15-year-old girl, a class 10th student. They said the victim fell unconscious after the incident.
Locals made announcements through public address system of a local Masjid and staged protests against the incident.
Meanwhile, locals at Kujar Ganderbal staged protests against another alleged braid chopping incident in their locality late last evening.
Local sources identified the victim as 10-year-old girl of Check Kujar. She too was hospitalized at district hospital Ganderbal where from she was discharged after being provided some treatment. Police said that they are on job to know the facts.
Meanwhile, on Monday evening three unidentified persons were severely beaten by the locals at Pampore after alleging them of being braid choppers.
According to the reports, scores of people raised slogans in Pampore town claiming they caught braid choppers. The three alleged braid choppers were beaten severely before police reached the spot and rescued them, they said.
One of the alleged braid choppers later turned to be a 30-year-old mentally challenged man from Budgam, sources added.
Police said that during the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that two were from Bemina Srinagar and one from Surasyar Budgam, police said.
“But the locals mistook all the three as braid choppers, caught hold of and thrashed them,” police said. Police also said that the Budgam man is mentally challenged and no hair-cutting tools were found in their possession and no hair chopping incident had taken place in the area.
Meanwhile, braid chopping incidents were reported from HabbaKadal and Qamarwari areas of Srinagar city.
Witnesses said that the braid of a woman was cut by some unknown persons in Karfalli Mohalla of Habbakadal in the old city of Srinagar. They said that she was also reportedly hit by a brick and was immediately taken to the SKIMS Soura for treatment.
People in the area took to the streets after the incident. Reports said that scores of men and women took to the streets against the incident. The protesters were reportedly shouting slogans against the government.
In the second incident of braid chopping in Srinagar, a 10-year-old girl’s hair was chopped off when she was busy with her studies at her house in Qamarwari. According to the witness, unknown persons threw chilli powder at her face and cut her braid. Reports said that scores of locals took to the streets after the incident. Minor clashes were also reported between police and civilians after the incident.
Later in the afternoon, the braid of a 20-year-old girl was chopped off in SD Colony area of Batamaloo here, following which the inhabitants took to streets against the incidents.
The protesters raising slogans against the incidents demanded authorities to nab the culprits behind the acts.
KV Correspondent
