Don’t assault suspects in ‘braid-chopping’ cases: Awantipora SSP
Our Correspondent
Pulwama, October 26
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Awantipora, Mohammad Zahid Malik on Thursday warned people against beating braid-chopping ‘suspects’ and said stern action would be taken against those who would be found involved in such cases.
He was addressing a press conference after many youth in Awantipora town beat a boy, identified as Umar Farooq Sheikh, a resident of Noorpora, allegedly for being a braid-chopper.
The SSP said this was the third or fourth time he was appealing to the people not to take law in their hands. “If people suspect any person for being a braid-chopper, they should report to the police,” he said, adding that he would not tolerate assault on any innocent person.
The SSP had called for a presser to give information on three incidents — Missing of a Class VIII boy, drowsiness felt by girl students at the Islamic University of Science and Technology and their subsequent admission to a hospital and assault on a boy for being a braid-chopper.
While giving details to the media about the missing boy and subsequent protests by residents, he said the incident was nothing but examophobia.
“We found that Muneez Javed did not want to appear in the exam and had left his home on the evening of October 24,” he said, adding that the student had neither submitted photographs nor had received the admit card for the examination.
He said the boy later came home himself. Further giving details about the drowsiness and subsequent admission of girl students to a hospital, the SSP said around 3 O’ clock, the girls felt drowsiness and were admitted to the Primary Health Centre, Awantipora.
“Later, some students were referred to SKIMS from where most of them were discharged except two which are still under medical observance,” he said.
