J-K Police appeals to people to co-operate in investigation into braid-chopping incidents

After a spate of fresh braid-chopping incidents reported from Jammu and Kashmir, the state police appealed to the people of the state to help and co-operate the security administration and let police investigate the cases.

"We appeal to the public to help us and co-operate with us. Let the police investigate the case instead of obstructing the investigations. The society needs to be responsible. We should not be forced to use tear gas for dispersion of people. In most of the cases, people brought the accused to us. We interrogated, investigated them and none of the person was involved in any hair-chopping case," DIG Central Kashmir Range Ghulam Hasan Bhat said, during a press conference.

Bhat further revealed that a girl in the Gulbarg colony admitted that she had cut her hair herself.

"The accused said that she was mistreated in the family; the mother of the accused used different words to tease her and she was very upset with this. The girl got mentally disturbed and she thought that the braid or hair cutting was happening and it was the per tune time to cut her hair and she did it," he said.

The police also said that the lady police will also be kept available to examine the victims.

"In rest of the cases, we have not been provided the support by the either the victim or the family members. We have decided that the lady police officer will be available till 11 o'clock for these victims to be examined," he said.

The incidents of braid-chopping have increased in Jammu and Kashmir over the past few days and people have started resorting to vigilante action to prevent such attacks.

Reportedly, earlier this week, a youth was thrashed in the Baramulla district after the mob alleged him of being a braid-chopper.

In another case, two women were thrashed at a wedding function on similar suspicion in the Baba Demb area of the valley.