‘Braid-chopping’: Fearing safety, women want CM to intervene

Rifat Mohidin

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 18

The increasing ‘braid-chopping’ incidents in the Valley have created a scare among girl students and working class women as they fear stepping out of their homes.

On Wednesday, Maisuma, Mehjoor Nagar and Magarmal Bagh witnessed clashes and a shutdown due to fresh incidents of braid-chopping even as the police failed to arrest the culprits.

Sabah Jan, a university student, said her parents had advised her to skip classes for a week and stay at home due to the fear of these incidents.

“This is harassment and an attack on the chastity of women. We don’t feel safe outside. It has become difficult for us to go out of our homes. We are very depressed,” she said.

An official from the University of Kashmir said many women students in the hostel and who lived in rented accommodations in the Hazratbal vicinity had left for home due to fear.

“The government must come clear on the issue. They should book whoever is involved and solve this mystery. This has created a lot of fear among the women students who are living here away from their homes,” the official said.

A 26-year-old bank employee, Shazia Bhat, from Srinagar, said she was even scared to board a rickshaw to her home because of the fear of attack from braid-choppers.

“We are mentally very tense because of the way the incidents are happening. We can be attacked anywhere, anytime. There is no clarity on who is doing it and why it is continuing,” she said, adding that the government should take steps to ensure the safety of women and appealed to Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to personally intervene in the situation.

The police said there had been more than 100 incidents of alleged braid-chopping being reported from different districts of Kashmir. They have also announced Rs 6 lakh reward for helping in arresting the people behind it.