Chopped braids lead to mob violence in valley

With braid-cutting incidents coming to light in Kashmir, the administration here has cautioned the people not to take the law in their own hands and restrain themselves from indulging in vigilantism. The police has also asked the media to exercise caution as any provoking reporting may lead to mob vigilantism.

DIG, Central Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, told this reporter that so far, all the alleged braid choppers handed over to the police by people were found to be innocent.

Police’s appeal came after 70-year-old Abdul Salam Wani was seriously injured at Danter village of Anantnag. He was thrashed by the villagers with a brick. He succumbed to head injuries in the hospital on Friday. While J&K Police is coming under intense pressure from the opposition parties and even from the ruling PDP for not being able to arrest the braid choppers, the police maintains that they cannot solve any case unless the victims and the witnesses come forward to give their statements.

At Ishber Nishat, on the outskirts of Srinagar, two young persons from Srinagar were thrashed by the villagers who said that they were the alleged braid choppers. “We found them to be innocent. They are battling for their lives in the hospital as they were beaten up by a frenzied mob,” a senior police officer from Nishat told this reporter.

There have been dozens of cases in the past few days when mobs thrashed people across Kashmir, accusing them to be braid choppers. The police has received complaints of about 60 cases of alleged braid chopping. In many cases, street Romeos were also thrashed and in other cases some of the thieves, including one car lifter, were beaten up. These incidents have instilled fear among the people and there is chaos in Srinagar and on its outskirts. In many villages people have started doing night vigils to guard themselves from the braid chopping.

The police recently announced a prize money of Rs 6 lakh for the person who provides any information about the culprits, but there hasn’t been any progress on this so far. IGP Kashmir Range, Muneer Ahmad Khan, told the media that there is no cooperation from the public or from the victims or their families on this matter. He said that people are not coming forward even to file any complaints against this growing crime. Asking the people to cooperate and exercise calm, he said that people should not take the law in their own hands as that will result in chaos and tragedies.

There has been a shutdown in Anantnag as the traders alleged that the police and the security forces went on a rampage and damaged their shops and business establishments following an anti-police protest in the town against the growing incidents of braid chopping. DIG, Central Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Bhat told the media that they have formed a Special Investigation Team headed by a lady inspector to probe the incidents of alleged braid chopping. Meanwhile, girl students of Women’s College in Srinagar on Saturday held protests against the government for not being able to stop the growing braid chopping incidents.