Braidchopping hysteria grips Kashmir, mentally ill man thrashed by mob in Sopore

A mentally challenged person was saved on Friday by police from the hands of a mob that tried to immolate him and run him over with a tractor on suspicion of being a braid chopper in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore.

The police received information that a mob had got hold of an alleged braid chopper in the fruit mandi area.

When they rushed to the spot, they found the mob beating Wasim Ahmad Tantray "ruthlessly".

"The miscreants had also burnt some grass and were trying to set the person ablaze. Some even tried to run him over with a tractor," a police officer said.

Tantray, who is said to be "mentally challenged", was rescued and rushed to a Sopore hospital. "Condition of the injured is stated to be



critical and has now been referred to Srinagar," the police officer said.

An FIR was registered and the culprits have been identified, the police said.

Braid-chopping incidents have set in a sense of insecurity among people. In last few weeks alone around 100 such braid chopping incidents took place across Kashmir.

In another incident, five civilians had sustained injuries after the Indian army opened fire to disperse protesters rallying against an alleged braid-chopping attempt in Salar's Wullerhama village.

According to reports, the locals chased a braid-chopper who allegedly tried to flee in an army vehicle. When the residents pelted stones on the vehicle, army men retaliated by opening fire at them.