In Kashmir, there were 72 cases of people beating up innocents on the suspicion of them being braid-choppers and cases would be registered against all those who took law into their own hands, Director General of Police (DGP) Dr SP Vaid said on Monday (October 21). 
 
He also said if needed, those accused of beating&nbsp;up&nbsp;innocents would be slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA), but no innocent person being branded as braid-chopper by the public on suspicion would be booked. 
 
&quot;In 72 cases (of braid chopping), people took law into their own hands and beat up the innocent (in Kashmir Valley)&quot;, DGP Vaid told PTI today. 
 
Asserting that FIRs would be lodged in all the 72 cases, he said, &quot;The police will deal with miscreants sternly.&quot; 
 
The DGP said police would not book any innocent person and in cases where an innocent person has been handed over to the police by the public on the suspicion of being a braid-chopper, police authorities should tell the facts to the media clearly. 
 
The senior police official said all districts now have Special Investigation Teams (SITs) and officials from Social Welfare and Health department have to&nbsp;be involved in it. 
 
The health department should depute teams to meet braid- chopping victims and probe the matter, he said. 
 
The DGP said, &quot;It (braid-chopping incidents) took place in many parts of northern India and then it was reported in Jammu. Such cases were also reported in south, central and north Kashmir&quot;. 
 
&quot;But the difference is that, in Kashmir, there are elements who do not want peace and normalcy,&quot; Mr Vaid said, adding such elements were trying to exploit people&#39;s sentiments to trigger unrest.&nbsp;

Director General of Police Dr SP Vaid said cases would be registered against those who took the law in their own hands

In Kashmir, there were 72 cases of people beating up innocents on the suspicion of them being braid-choppers and cases would be registered against all those who took law into their own hands, Director General of Police (DGP) Dr SP Vaid said on Monday (October 21). He also said if needed, those accused of beating up innocents would be slapped with Public Safety Act (PSA), but no innocent person being branded as braid-chopper by the public on suspicion would be booked. "In 72 cases (of braid chopping), people took law into their own hands and beat up the innocent (in Kashmir Valley)", DGP Vaid told PTI today. Asserting that FIRs would be lodged in all the 72 cases, he said, "The police will deal with miscreants sternly." The DGP said police would not book any innocent person and in cases where an innocent person has been handed over to the police by the public on the suspicion of being a braid-chopper, police authorities should tell the facts to the media clearly. The senior police official said all districts now have Special Investigation Teams (SITs) and officials from Social Welfare and Health department have to be involved in it. The health department should depute teams to meet braid- chopping victims and probe the matter, he said. The DGP said, "It (braid-chopping incidents) took place in many parts of northern India and then it was reported in Jammu. Such cases were also reported in south, central and north Kashmir". "But the difference is that, in Kashmir, there are elements who do not want peace and normalcy," Mr Vaid said, adding such elements were trying to exploit people's sentiments to trigger unrest.

People beat up innocents in 72 braid-chopping incidents in Kashmir: Top cop

A man was ruthlessly thrashed&nbsp;in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-territorial-army-man-thrashed-after-being-suspected-as-braid-chopper-22558">Jammu and Kashmir&rsquo;s Sopore&nbsp;by a group of people </a>who suspected him to be a braid chopper.&nbsp;Five others were injured in the violence.

The man, identified as Waseem Ahmad, had gone to offer prayers at Dargah Hazratbal during the wee hours when he was attacked by the mob.

The mob also tried to&nbsp;set Ahmad on fire.

He was saved by the timely intervention of the police personnel who used force to rescue him from the mob.

&quot;Immediately, a police party rushed to spot and found that a mob was beating one person ruthlessly. The miscreants had also burnt some grass and were trying to set the person ablaze. Some miscreants were trying to run a tractor over him,&quot; a police spokesman said.

The police said Ahmad is mentally challenged.

He has been admitted to Srinagar hospital in a serious condition.

The police have identified those involved in the incident and an FIR has been registered.

More than 130 braid-chopping incidents have been reported from various parts of Kashmir over the past one month but police has so far failed to make any arrest.

?Special investigation teams have been set up to nab those involved in braid chopping, which has created fear psychosis among the people, especially the women folk.?The police have announced a reward of Rs 6 lakh for information leading to arrest of braid choppers.&nbsp;

(With PTI inputs)

The man identified as Waseem Ahmad from Shrakwara Nowpora in Sopore had gone to offer prayers at Dargah Hazratbal.

A man was ruthlessly thrashed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore by a group of people who suspected him to be a braid chopper. Five others were injured in the violence. The man, identified as Waseem Ahmad, had gone to offer prayers at Dargah Hazratbal during the wee hours when he was attacked by the mob. The mob also tried to set Ahmad on fire. He was saved by the timely intervention of the police personnel who used force to rescue him from the mob. "Immediately, a police party rushed to spot and found that a mob was beating one person ruthlessly. The miscreants had also burnt some grass and were trying to set the person ablaze. Some miscreants were trying to run a tractor over him," a police spokesman said. The police said Ahmad is mentally challenged. He has been admitted to Srinagar hospital in a serious condition. The police have identified those involved in the incident and an FIR has been registered. More than 130 braid-chopping incidents have been reported from various parts of Kashmir over the past one month but police has so far failed to make any arrest. ?Special investigation teams have been set up to nab those involved in braid chopping, which has created fear psychosis among the people, especially the women folk.?The police have announced a reward of Rs 6 lakh for information leading to arrest of braid choppers. (With PTI inputs)

Man suspected to be braid chopper brutally thrashed by mob in J&K

Four persons were injured on Wednesday when security forces fired on a mob in Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir following an alleged &#39;braid-chopping incident&#39;, police said.

Residents of a village in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district staged a protest after they caught an alleged braid-chopper, a police official said.

He said a security forces vehicle passing through the area was stopped by the protesters, who tried to deflate its tyres.

As the mob got violent, the security forces personnel opened fire, resulting in injuries to four persons, the official said.

He said further details of the incident were awaited.

The residents of a village in the Pahalgam area staged a protest after they caught an alleged 'braid chopper'

Four persons were injured on Wednesday when security forces fired on a mob in Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir following an alleged 'braid-chopping incident', police said. Residents of a village in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district staged a protest after they caught an alleged braid-chopper, a police official said. He said a security forces vehicle passing through the area was stopped by the protesters, who tried to deflate its tyres. As the mob got violent, the security forces personnel opened fire, resulting in injuries to four persons, the official said. He said further details of the incident were awaited.

Kashmir: 4 injured as security forces fire on mob after 'braid-chopping incident'

Police said Thursday they were investigating an outbreak of &quot;braid chopping&quot; that is spooking Indian villagers and has seen a woman murdered amid rumours of witchcraft.

Since July, at least 55 women across five Indian states have reported waking to find their braids mysteriously lopped off, sparking intense speculation around the assaults.

Four new cases were reported on New Delhi&#39;s outskirts on Wednesday, just days after half a dozen similar cases were reported in Gurgaon, south of the capital.

&quot;We heard her cries, and when we rushed she was lying on the floor unconscious,&quot; said Rohit Yadav, whose 55-year-old mother Monesh Devi fell victim in July in Delhi.

&quot;Her chopped off hair was lying next to her.&quot;

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Woke up at night to use washroom. When I came back saw my hair on bed,woke up my husband&amp;found my daughters&#39; hair chopped off too: Mother <a href="https://t.co/JywAFtBGLt">pic.twitter.com/JywAFtBGLt</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/893077808024440832">August 3, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The string of unexplained attacks has occurred in largely rural areas, where superstitious beliefs spark hysteria and allegations of witchcraft.

Some villages have held special prayer sessions to ward off evil spirits and begun patrols to protect their women.

None of the victims have been harmed in any physical way or robbed.

A 65-year-old woman murdered by a mob in Agra -- home to the Taj Mahal -- was later branded a witch and accused of using sorcery to slice braids, despite no cases being reported in the city.

&quot;She was beaten after they found her loitering in a nearby village. Someone accused her of being a witch and later linked her to the hair cutting incidents,&quot; Dinesh Chandra Dubey, Agra police chief, told AFP.

Authorities in Delhi are treating the assaults as crimes but have no leads thus far, Surinder Kumar, deputy commissioner of Delhi police, told AFP.

However, they have dismissed claims of witchcraft, leaning more towards the theory that mental illness or cases of copycat attacks could be behind the bizarre events.

&quot;Counsellors said they could be suffering from disorders and could have done it themselves but our investigating are broad-based,&quot; Kumar told AFP. 
&nbsp;

Since July, at least 55 women across five Indian states have reported waking to find their braids mysteriously lopped off, sparking intense speculation around the assaults

Police said Thursday they were investigating an outbreak of "braid chopping" that is spooking Indian villagers and has seen a woman murdered amid rumours of witchcraft. Since July, at least 55 women across five Indian states have reported waking to find their braids mysteriously lopped off, sparking intense speculation around the assaults. Four new cases were reported on New Delhi's outskirts on Wednesday, just days after half a dozen similar cases were reported in Gurgaon, south of the capital. "We heard her cries, and when we rushed she was lying on the floor unconscious," said Rohit Yadav, whose 55-year-old mother Monesh Devi fell victim in July in Delhi. "Her chopped off hair was lying next to her." Woke up at night to use washroom. When I came back saw my hair on bed,woke up my husband&found my daughters' hair chopped off too: Mother pic.twitter.com/JywAFtBGLt — ANI (@ANI_news) August 3, 2017 × The string of unexplained attacks has occurred in largely rural areas, where superstitious beliefs spark hysteria and allegations of witchcraft. Some villages have held special prayer sessions to ward off evil spirits and begun patrols to protect their women. None of the victims have been harmed in any physical way or robbed. A 65-year-old woman murdered by a mob in Agra -- home to the Taj Mahal -- was later branded a witch and accused of using sorcery to slice braids, despite no cases being reported in the city. "She was beaten after they found her loitering in a nearby village. Someone accused her of being a witch and later linked her to the hair cutting incidents," Dinesh Chandra Dubey, Agra police chief, told AFP. Authorities in Delhi are treating the assaults as crimes but have no leads thus far, Surinder Kumar, deputy commissioner of Delhi police, told AFP. However, they have dismissed claims of witchcraft, leaning more towards the theory that mental illness or cases of copycat attacks could be behind the bizarre events. "Counsellors said they could be suffering from disorders and could have done it themselves but our investigating are broad-based," Kumar told AFP.

India: Mysterious 'braid chopping' continues, villagers spooked

A sixty-two-year-old woman was allegedly lynched in Agra on Wednesday after villagers suspected her of chopping off women&rsquo;s braids in the area, ANI reported.

The incident took place at Mutnai village in the Dauki police station area of Agra.

Maan Devi was reportedly attacked when she had gone to relieve herself early Wednesday morning. ANI reported that Devi was severely beaten by the mob and was left bleeding.

Devi was then taken to a hospital and was later discharged following primary treatment, ANI reported.

According to ANI, she died on her way back.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/india-mysterious-braid-chopping-continues-villagers-spooked-18553">Mysterious &#39;braid chopping&#39; continues, villagers spooked</a>

Media reports said Devi was a Dalit, but WION could not verify that.&nbsp;

The Additional Director General of Police in Agra said an investigation is underway to find the people responsible for the woman&rsquo;s death.

Since July, at least 55 women across five Indian states have reported waking to find their braids mysteriously lopped off, AFP reported.

However, none of the victims have been harmed in any physical way or robbed.

 
&nbsp;

Maan Devi was reportedly attacked when she had gone to relieve herself early Wednesday morning

A sixty-two-year-old woman was allegedly lynched in Agra on Wednesday after villagers suspected her of chopping off women’s braids in the area, ANI reported. The incident took place at Mutnai village in the Dauki police station area of Agra. Maan Devi was reportedly attacked when she had gone to relieve herself early Wednesday morning. ANI reported that Devi was severely beaten by the mob and was left bleeding. Devi was then taken to a hospital and was later discharged following primary treatment, ANI reported. According to ANI, she died on her way back. Also read: Mysterious 'braid chopping' continues, villagers spooked Media reports said Devi was a Dalit, but WION could not verify that. The Additional Director General of Police in Agra said an investigation is underway to find the people responsible for the woman’s death. Since July, at least 55 women across five Indian states have reported waking to find their braids mysteriously lopped off, AFP reported. However, none of the victims have been harmed in any physical way or robbed.

Indian 'braid chopper': 62-year-old woman lynched in Agra

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