Kashmir braid chopping case solved: Woman found to be depressed cut her hair

Jammu and Kashmir police on Saturday said that a victim of alleged braid chopping in Kashmir had put on an act as she was apparently suffering from depression after the death of her mother and mother-in-law following the birth of her child.

A top police officer told HT that Aasia, wife of Wasim Bhat of Chanapora in Srinagar, in a state of depression, cut a few inches of her hair and raised a hue and cry.

This is the first case of braid chopping that the police has claimed to have objectively investigated an incident of braid-chopping and come up with an explanation.

Authorities in Kashmir are grappling with more than 100 cases of alleged braid chopping, which have led to concerns regarding security, especially of women, and disturbances to law and order.

Police have also launched a crackdown on rumour mongers and vigilantes who, on the basis of allegations, have thrashed innocent people and targeted security personnel.

On Friday, Wasim had complained that Aasia was attacked and her braid was “chopped by some unknown person after spraying some substance on her face when she was near the bathroom in their compound”.

But doctors confirmed that “no spray was used on the victim”. The allegation of strangulation by her father-in-law was also denied by doctors. “There was also no injury mark on the victim,” police said.

Police noted that Aasia had delivered a baby recently. However, her mother and mother-in-law, who were a huge support to her following her child’s birth, died soon after.

As per clinical psychologists, police said it could be a case of postpartum depression, a condition which occurs after the delivery of baby to a mother, as she finds it difficult to cope up with new additional responsibilities.

“She has sleepless nights, mood swings and her biological clock gets disturbed,” the police statement said, adding that the death of her close relatives aggravated her condition, which led her to resort to the act.

Last week, a man, who claimed that his hair was chopped, was found to have raised an alarm to create law and order problems.

Earlier this week, police had booked a woman in Batamaloo area of the city after she claimed for the third time in a fortnight that her braid was chopped by unknown miscreants.

More than 70 people were arrested across the Valley in the last week in connection with spreading rumours about braid-chopping.

Police have repeatedly urged people not to pay heed to any rumours.

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also tried to allay the concerns of the people over braid chopping, saying that these incidents are attempts to create mass hysteria and undermine the dignity of the women in the state.

“Government will ensure steps are taken to find the motives behind these attacks,” she had tweeted.