There appears to be an impending danger to the civil order in Kashmir, where rumours of braid-chopping have led to unrestrained mob vigilantism, in which Kashmiris are fighting Kashmiris, in some cases with fatal consequences.
In one such case, a nephew killed his uncle after attacking him with a brick in South Kashmir, after mistaking him for a braid chopper because he was loitering in their compound in the evening. On Friday, a mob in Sopore beat up a mentally-challenged person who is now battling for his life in hospital. A senior police officer told this reporter that they registered an FIR against the miscreants who incited the mob, which even tried to set the victim ablaze. IGP Kashmir Range, Muneer Ahmad Khan told this reporter that he instructed the police to file FIRs and arrest the people who were inciting the mobs to thrash innocent people.
In Kupwara, a man named Muhammad Sultan Lone raised a false alarm against Jameel Ahmad Dar, who worked as a tractor driver for him for many weeks. Lone did not want to pay Jameel his dues and hence, he incited the people of his locality to beat up Jameel, accusing him to be a braid-chopper. Jameel is presently admitted in hospital in a critical condition, while the police has registered a case against Lone.
At Khanow Babagund area in Kupwara district, the police said that the villagers informed them on Friday evening that one alleged braid chopper had been captured by the youths of the area. However, village elders managed to stop them from thrashing the man. The police finally identified the man as Muhammad Yousuf Khan, son of Wali Muhammad Khan, a resident of Sulkoot Kupwara. He is an ex-Armyman who was dismissed from service eight years ago due to his deteriorating mental health.
With the police unable to solve a single case of purported braid chopping, the valley is rife with rumours that the police and the security forces are protecting the braid-choppers.
This rumour grew stronger after the police and the Army had to open fire against mobs that were chasing alleged braid-choppers. Five villagers received bullet injuries while chasing an alleged braid chopper on Wednesday at Wullerhama near Pahalgam health resort. The villagers alleged that they had almost caught hold of the braid chopper but an Army vehicle not only protected him, but opened fire on them. Such complaints came from other villages too, where the locals said that when they were chasing the braid-choppers, the Army and the police came to the latter’s rescue.
At Rainawari in downtown Srinagar, a minor boy received pellet injuries while he was chasing an alleged braid chopper in his locality. He claimed that the police fired at him while protecting the alleged miscreant.
The residents of Baghna Noorkhaw in Boniyar Uri alleged that four armed men in uniform were moving around mysteriously, and when the locals stopped them, they said they were militants. The locals did not believe their version and caught them for questioning. They alleged that three of the men fired in the air and managed to escape to the nearby camp and while the fourth was caught by the people, he was subsequently rescued by the Army.
With more such reports pouring in, there have been cases where villagers have beaten up Army personnel and the police. In the past one week, four Army jawans were thrashed by mobs at Kupwara and at Kangan in Ganderbal district. In separate incidents in Srinagar and Budgam, four policemen were beaten up by a mob who alleged that they were braid-choppers.
With 135 cases of alleged braid-chopping being reported to the police, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has announced a cash reward of Rs 6 lakh for anybody giving any credible information on braid choppers. But nothing has come to light and mobs are using the police’s failure to get to the bottom of the matter as a pretext to take to task anyone they suspect.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP), Sopore, Harmeet Singh told this reporter that they have arrested 12 people on the basis of a video in which they were seen to be trying to set ablaze the mentally challenged man, Waseem Ahmad Tantray. He added that in Baramulla, the police has arrested 45 people so far for inciting mobs to kill or thrash innocent people. The police station of Sheeri in Baramulla has arrested 18 vigilantes so far, including Kaisar Bilal Bhat, whom the police identified as a chronic stone-pelter. The police said that at the behest of these people, a violent mob thrashed three Territorial Army (TA)
jawans.
Meanwhile, Srinagar has come to the brink of a shutdown with the separatists giving a call for civil curfew on Saturday. The separatists had earlier called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers against alleged incidents of braid chopping and the failure of the police to arrest the culprits. Downtown Srinagar remained under restrictions for the second consecutive day on Saturday. Even on Friday the police had imposed restrictions and did not allow Friday prayers to be offered in Jamia Masjid situated in Nowhatta, Srinagar. Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid have not been allowed for the past four consecutive Fridays as a precautionary measure to prevent protests.
Confusion is growing on the ground and has brought Kashmiri society to the brink of a civil war. Youth brigades in towns and villages are conducting night vigils. In most cases, they ended up beating innocent people and even Armymen and policemen who were off duty.
The matter is compounded by the bickering between the National Conference and the ruling People’s Democratic Party. The NC appears keen to exploit the situation to their advantage and according to a senior journalist in Kashmir, the party leaders are planning to use this episode to press for Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s resignation.
The separatists, meanwhile, have given a fresh call for protest. They have accused the government and the Central agencies for what they described as an onslaught on the dignity of Kashmiri women with the intention to distract the attention of the people from basic political issues.
Mehbooba Mufti and the police have, on the other hand, said that some elements were trying to create mass hysteria in Kashmir. In many cases, doctors have said that women who complained of braid-chopping are patients of depression or attention seekers.