Waseem Ahmad Tantray, 20, a mentally-challenged young man, is lying semi-unconscious on bed no 12 of the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) in Srinagar – the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. Both his hands are fractured, his entire back is bruised, and the left side of his forehead is scabbed.
Tantray, a resident of Shakwara area of North Kashmir’s Sopore, was ruthlessly beaten by a vigilante group and was about to be set on fire in Sopore’s fruit mandi on 19 October.
According to doctors, Tantray suffered polytrauma and multiple injuries all over his body, including burn marks. His maternal uncle, Bashir Ahmad Reshi, says:
If the police hadn’t reached on time, Waseem could well have been burnt alive by the mob.
Beaten in the Name of Braid Chopping
The mob had attempted to choke him to death by winding a wire around his neck leaving a deep impression on his skin. His voice collapses as he narrates the harrowing experience.
Also Read: 70-Year-Old Man Beaten to Death in J&K Over Braid Chopping Rumours
I don’t know why I was beaten, I went inside a masjid (mosque) at midnight in Sopore when a mob dragged me out, as they mistook me for a braid chopper and started beating me.Waseem Ahmad Tantray, victim of mob violence
Things went from bad to worse for Tantray with more people joining the crowd.
People kicked and punched me amid abuses. They dragged me towards paddy fields and tried to set me on fire.
The incident was recorded on video, which went viral on social networking platforms and has left the Valley shocked as everyone berated the act in unison.
Tantray’s uncle, who is attending to him in the hospital, says his nephew is suffering from mental trauma.
His mother died when he was just eight, that had a huge impact on his psyche. He roams here and there and has been caught many a time even by the police. This incident has bruised him physically and mentally.Bashir Ahmad Reshi, Tantray’s uncle
Rise of Vigilantism
Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented rise in braid chopping incidents, and consequently, it has given rise to vigilantism – a phenomenon unheard of in this part of the world.
There have been numerous incidents in which people have been beaten and bunted on suspicion of being braid choppers.
One such case is that of Samir Ahmad Khan and Tahir Ahmad Beigh, two business partners who had a brush with vigilantism when they were thrashed on the outskirts of Srinagar.
Ever since they were mistaken as braid choppers, their business has taken a massive hit. Hardly any customer, they say, visits their boutique in the Gojwara area of Srinagar.
It was scary. People attacked us both verbally and physically. We were beaten to pulp. Ever since the incident took place, women have stopped visiting our shop.Samir Ahmad Khan, victim of mob violence
Khan says on 6 October, he and Beigh had gone to Ishber Nishat to meet their costumer.
They started questioning us and alleged that we had come to cut braids of women. We pleaded our innocence and within no time, don’t know how large number of people assembled and began beating us ruthlessly.
“Someone in the crowd punched Tahir on his nose due to which he began to bleed profusely. And when the police reached the spot, that angered the group and it began to beat us mercilessly. The police had to fire several shots in the air to disperse the crowd, and we were taken to hospital,” Samir said.
Vigilantism in the Name of Braid Chopping
- 3 October: First incident of vigilantism reported in North Kashmir’s Delina area when a boy who had gone there to meet his girlfriend was thrashed by a mob
- 6 October: A 70-year-old man died of grievous injuries when he was mistaken as a braid chopper and attacked with a brick by his nephew
- 7 October: Transgender, dressed as a woman, beaten by a mob on suspicion of being a braid chopper
- 8 October: Six foreign tourists saved by the police at Kanikachi Mohalla near Dal lake after they were mistaken as braid choppers; a mentally unsound man thrashed in Kangan area of Ganderbal district
- 9 October: Four ragpickers accused of braid chopping rescued by the police.
- 11 October: Three were beaten for alleged braid chopping in Khankahbagh, Pampore
- 17 October: Three army men mistaken as braid choppers beaten in Sheeri area of Baramulla district. Three other incidents reported in Kangan, Kupwara, and Uri
- 26 October: A burqa-clad person thrashed by locals in Awantipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district
Failure of Law and Order
The incidents of vigilantism come in the backdrop of lynching of a police officer, Mohammad Ayub Pandith, in Srinagar early this year.
Pandith was allegedly stripped and lynched by the mob near Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city on the night of Shab-e-Qadar, triggering an outrage across Kashmir.
The deceased was allegedly making a video of stone pelting by locals when he was attacked by a violent mob. Ayub opened fire through his service pistol in his defense.
Also Read: Kashmir Sees Violence Daily, But DSP Ayub’s Lynching Was Madness
While some people strongly condemn the actions of hair vigilantes, others justify the same saying that the government’s failure to put an end to braid-chopping incidents has forced these vigilantes to take the matter into their own hands.
With over 400 incidents of braid chopping being reported in around two months, vigilante groups of local men, mostly young, have mushroomed across Kashmir Valley, where women allege unknown assailants spray chemicals to knock them unconscious and then chop their braids.
Such incidents have gripped the Valley with fear as well as anger, and now the situation has taken a gruesome turn.
Even Terrorists Mistaken as Braid Choppers
In another incident, a vigilante group tried to drown a youth in the Dal Lake, who had gone to offer morning prayers at the Hazratbal shrine. The police said he was suspected of being a braid chopper.
A video of the incident shows a man pushing the youth into the Dal Lake. He is then seen slapping the victim, catching him by the neck, and again forcing his head into the water in a bid to suffocate him. Fortunately, all were rescued with the timely intervention of the police.
Many incidents have been reported about vigilante groups thrashing suspected braid choppers, who later turned out to be innocent.
So much so, even militants had to bear the brunt of vigilantes. Vigilantes thrashed a group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants mistaken as braid choppers in Thokarpora village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
According to local news agency CNS, the vigilantes continuously harassed, thrashed and abused them. Some of the vigilantes even tried to snatch weapons from them, which they resisted.
According to reports, the trio managed to escape from the spot after their two associates fired at least eight rounds in the air. “The aerial firing created panic, forcing the vigilantes to disperse from the spot,” they said.
Armed with a handmade weapon of a bamboo stick, fitted with long iron nails, these braid vigilantes monitor their respective areas.
Despite being in a state of fear, Kashmiri netizens are expressing their anger and resentment over the unlawful actions of hair vigilantes.
Also Read: J&K Braid-Chopping: Cops Impose Restrictions Against Protest Calls
Police Says ‘Mob Mentality Can’t be Controlled’
The Jammu and Kashmir police have setup special teams to probe the incidents, which has spread panic among citizens, but so far they have failed to make any arrests.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, Muneer Ahmed Khan, has earlier said:
We are going to take strict action against those who take law into their own hands. We have so far arrested at least 70 persons and have registered more than 15 FIRs against them.
However, a spokesman from the J&K Police claimed:
We have taken cognisance of the incidents and dozens of people have been arrested. More people have been identified who were involved and they will also be booked in the coming days. Mob mentality is something which can’t be controlled anywhere in the world.
Parallels With Cow Vigilantism
While some people in Kashmir are comparing these incidents with that of cow vigilantism in other states, others argue that it is merely a reaction to a particular incident.
Cow vigilantes are backed and supported by political parties, but in Kashmir, it is a reaction to the increasing frequency of braid chopping incidents, and it will die down soon.Mukhtar Baba, journalist
Muneer Ahmed Khan claims that there was no incident of braid chopping, and maintained it was “mass hysteria” that gripped the entire Valley.
Everything is normal now, but some anti-social elements try to disturb the peaceful atmosphere. We have arrested at least 70 persons and have registered more than 15 FIRs against those who took law into their own hands, and strict action will be taken against them.Muneer Ahmed Khan, IGP, Kashmir range
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also claimed that it was an attempt to create “mass hysteria.”
Mufti, in a tweet, recently wrote that the braid-chopping was an attempt “to create mass hysteria and undermine the dignity of the women in the state.”
As of now, braid chopping and consequent vigilantism is the talk of the town. One hopes vigilantism is just reaction to an incident and does not become a routine phenomenon in the days to come. Conflict-ridden Kashmir can’t afford to endure recurrence of such a bizarre overreaction.
(The author is a Srinagar-based journalist and he can be reached at @AuqibBinJavaad )
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