A 12 year-old boy has become the first male and the latest victim of hair chopping, which have created panic in several areas in the state. Shaik Farooq, a class 8 student from village Chek Watoo, was at home when the incident took place.
“After having dinner at 8:30 pm, he went into the corridor where somebody caught hold of him and sliced down a quarter of his hair. He started crying and rushed back to the kitchen,” said Farooq Ahmad Dar, victim’s father. “We rushed into the corridor, which was filled with some foul smell. Fearing we too could become unconscious, we retreated to the kitchen.” Dar said they checked all the rooms of the house and found out an open window on the first floor.
“Whoever did it, must have entered though that window,” he said. Shocked, the family only moved out after 20 minutes of the incident to call the closest neighbour to their isolated house. “The villagers gathered to look into the matter,” Dar added.
Earlier around 11 am on the same day, a girl of the nearby Korel village too had become a victim of braid chopping.
Kulgam has witnessed at least a dozen such cases in the last few days. However, it was for the first time that a boy became a victim.
Tehsildar Damhal-Hanjipora, Atta-Ul-Munim Tak, claimed that many steps had been taken to put an end to the mystery.
“We have made active the local Nambardars, Chowkidaars and village committees. Police too has been involved after victims filed reports,” he said.
A local police officer said they were ascertaining the facts. J&K Police Monday constituted a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to investigate braid-chopping incidents in Kulgam district and appealed to people not to pay heed to rumours spread by anti-social elements. The SIT was formed on the same day CM Mehbooba Mufti asked the State’s Police Chief S P Vaid to constitute a special team to investigate.