Mob assaults soldier in Kupwara over braid-chopping ‘suspicion’

Representational Image (Photo: AFP)


A mob of ‘vigilantes’ allegedly thrashed an Indian Army soldier, on the suspicion of being involved in a braid-chopping incident in Kashmir’s Kupwara town, said media reports  on Tuesday.

The soldier was rescued by the army.  The soldier is in a critical condition and has been transferred to a hospital for treatment, said media reports.

On 14 October, a Jammu and Kashmir (J-K) police constable was tied to a chair and thrashed by a mob for allegedly taking pictures of a burqa-clad woman in Manigam area of Ganderbal in Kashmir.

Later, the constable was arrested by the police and has been suspended, said media reports, as authorities found some photos of the woman in his phone.

Incident of violence against army, police officials come amid heightened tension in Kashmir on the issue of braid-chopping. Several tourists and locals have been harassed by mobs in the state under the suspicion of being the braid-choppers.