Clashes in J&K over braid chopping

Intense street clashes erupted in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar following an incident where a woman’s braid was allegedly chopped by unknown assailants on Monday.

The police and central paramilitaries fired dozens of teargas canisters and also used bamboo sticks to quell stone-pelting mobs in the neighbourhood of city centre Lal Chowk.

The protests and clashes which continued at the time of filing this report led to closure of shops and withdrawal of vehicles from the roads.

Protests and clashes were reported also from some other parts of the Valley including in northwestern Baramulla district.

While in Maisuma, close to Lal Chowk, a woman alleged that her braid was chopped by unknown assailants, in Baramulla’s Sheeri area a girl was allegedly targeted for the second time in past three days on the same.

The latter was rushed to Sheeri’s Public Health Centre in an unconscious state, a report said. At both these places, people including women took to the streets to hold protests. In Baramulla, the local lawyers marched from a court premises to the deputy commissioner’s office to register their protest against the increased incidence of braid chopping in Kashmir Valley.

The students of Srinagar’s Islamia College also held protests, witnesses said. More than 100 braid chopping incidents have taken place across Jammu and Kashmir during past four weeks, triggering a wave of terror among women and girls. The victims have said that unknown assailants cut their hair after knocking them unconscious with some spray.

Inspector general of police, Munir Ahmed Khan, said that the cops will collect samples to know what type of sprays have been used on the victims.

He denied reports suggesting that the police was planning to use lie-detectors or polygraph testing on the victims.

“That is not true but we will collect samples to know what type of sprays have been used on the victims,” Mr Khan said.