Tourists mistaken for braid-choppers, mobbed in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: Six foreign tourists who had lost their way and were mistaken as br aid chopper s by locals in the interiors of Kashmir’ s summer capital Srinagar were rescued by police owing to the intervention of some good Samaritans, police said on Sunday.

The six tourists–three Australians and one from South Korea, Ireland and England–were travelling from Lehto Srinaga rina vehicle and lost their way near the old city on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Police said that the group was travelling with the help of Google Maps which led them across a link road to city center Lal Chowk.

“On reaching Kanikachi Lati Mo hall a, the vehicle was stopped by a group of locals who, on spotting foreigners in the vehicle, created a hue and cry. It caused a large gathering of people on the spot quickly turning into an unruly mob,” said a police spokesman.

The situation was saved from turning ugly as some locals intervened to save the holed up group and called the police.

“With great efforts of the police and some reasonable people, the whole group was rescued,” the spokesman said.

The tourists were taken to a local hotel and were lodged there comfortably by the police and early in the morning, were seen off to their next destination.

PROTESTS OVER BRAID-CHOPPING

Kashmir has seen a number of protests over reports of braid-chopping over past few weeks.

J&K Police has announced a bounty of ₹6 lakh for anyone providing information about the braid-chopping incidents in the valley fearing that the incidents could be used to spark anti-India sentiments.

Separatists Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik have called for a shutdown on Monday against braid-chopping incidents in the state.