J&K mob beats up soldier for ‘role in braidchopping’

SRINAGAR: Tension gripped Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Kupwara town on Tuesday after a soldier was beaten up by a mob on suspicion of being involved in a braid-chopping incident.

A senior police official in Kupwara confirmed that a group of local boys had started thrashing the soldier, who was rescued by the army, after it was alleged that he was involved in braid chopping.

A video of the incident was being widely circulated on social networking sites.

Earlier this month, the police formed a special investigating team to probe braid-chopping incidents and announced a ₹6 lakh reward for those providing information for nabbing the perpetrators. They also recommended the formation of a multidisciplinary team — including doctors, police officers and administrators — to review such cases in each district.

About 40 cases of braid-chopping have been reported in Kashmir. A majority of such incidents were reported from densely populated urban areas and rural zones of the Valley.

Protests also broke out in several parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, against the unabated braid chopping attacks with at least half a dozen such alleged incidents reported in the past 24 hours.

SLAIN PDP WORKER’S HOUSE SET ABLAZE

A mob set ablaze the house of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader on Tuesday, who was allegedly killed by militants Monday night at in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.

According to police, nearly 200 people attacked the house of Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh when his family and neighbours were mourning his death.

“A mob attacked his (Sheikh’s) house. We have unconfirmed reports that some militants were also with them. They set ablaze the house,” said Shopian SP AS Dinkar. He did not comment why the mob set the house ablaze but sources suggested that the mob blamed the family for the death of the militant, Shaukat Kumar.