Kashmir: Mob protesting braid-chopping attacks army, 2 hurt as forces open fire
Residents of a village in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district staged a protest after they caught an alleged braid chopper
Two people suffered bullet injuries after security forces opened fire on protesters who pelted stones at them in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district on Wednesday, a senior police officer told HT.
“There were protests in the area against allegations of “braid chopping” and army personnel were passing through the area. Protesters pelted stones at them and they opened fire in retaliation. Two persons suffered bullet injuries but they are out of danger,” the officer said.
An official response from the army is awaited.
The incident comes on the heels of a continuing chaos in Kashmir Valley in connection to “braid chopping” -- a phrase used to describe the mysterious phenomenon of several women claiming that unknown men attack them and cut off their hair.
On Tuesday, a soldier was thrashed in Kupwara district of north Kashmir after locals alleged that he was a “braid chopper”.
Vigilante groups have emerged in almost every locality of the Valley in an attempt to safeguard their areas but locals and outsiders have faced their brunt.