Braid Chopping victims to go through lie detection test, blood sampling: IGP

The victims of mysterious braid chopping will have to undergo blood sampling and lie detection tests, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Muneer Khan said Friday. “Blood samples from all the victims of the braid-chopping will be collected and all of them will have to pass through a lie detection test,” Khan told Kashmir Post. Many victims had alleged that they were sprayed with some chemical that left them unconscious. “We have decided to take blood samples and find what type of chemical it is, which makes one unconscious in a…

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Lashkar commander among two militants killed in Pulwama gunfight, One Civilian killed, scores injured after forces open fire during Pulwama clashes

Police on Saturday said the two militants killed in a gunfight with government forces in Litter village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district belonged to Lashkar-e-Toiba militant outfit. An official identified the slain militants as Wasim Shah @Usama, resident of Heff and NAsir Ahmad Mir of Litter. Shah, he said, was the Shopian district commander of the LeT. He said one Ak-47, one AK-57 and six AK magazines were recovered from the gunfight site. Meanwhile, dozens of civilians were injured in massive clashes that erupted in Litter and adjacent villages of…

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Locals feeling unsafe, how can we convince tourists?: Tourism Body

Already hit by nose-dive in tourist arrivals to Kashmir, people associated with the tourism industry now fear that the growing incidents of braid chopping and attacks on people suspected as braid choppers might “deepen the negative perception about the Valley among the prospective tourists.” On Friday, the heads of at least eight tourism organisations met Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and urged her to “take steps” to stop braid chopping incidents, stating that the “constant fear in the air is set to cast a shadow on winter tourism in Kashmir.” A…

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Men skipping mosque prayers to protect women in Kupwara

Three recent incidents of braid-chopping in Kupwara have triggered such panic among people that men in some villages have begun skipping evening and late evening prayers in mosques to protect their womenfolk at home. A teenaged girl’s (name withheld) braid was chopped by two veiled miscreants in the remote Budkoote village of the district around 3 pm today, triggering panic among locals. The accused barged into the house and gagged the girl’s mouth before chopping off her braid, said a relative of the victim, whose pictures went viral on social…

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3 Fresh braid chopping incidents reported, HC directs police to conduct proper patrolling

Police to conduct lie-detection test of victims, rescues 3 beggars mistaken as braid choppers ‘Use crime mapping to nab people involved in braid cutting’: HC to Police The incidents of braid chopping continue to haunt people with three more cases reported across Kashmir. Fresh incidents were reported from Sopore and Bandipora in north Kashmir and Batamaloo in Srinagar. In Sopore, unknown men allegedly chopped braid of a woman in Khushal Mattoo area early morning, when the victim was busy with her routine work. 38-year-old victim’s braid was cut before she…

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Joint Resistance leadership slams Govt over Downtown Curbs, Closure of Schools

Joint separatist leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Friday slammed the government for once again turning Downtown Srinagar into a “military fortress”, barring people from offering prayers at Jamia Masjid for the third consecutive Friday and closing educational institutions in Kashmir. In a joint statement, the leaders said that caging or jailing them and detaining pro-freedom activists while “holding lakhs of people hostage in their own homes by sheer might reflects the military mindset of the government as the only way to exercise…

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25 Pilgrims hurt in accident while returning from Vaishno Devi

As many as 25 Vaishno Devi pilgrims were injured when the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road and rolled down a gorge in Reasi district, police said. A police official said that ill fated bus (No. JK02X-9817) was on its way to Katra from Uttar Pradesh when the driver of the vehicle lost control near Nomain, a few kilometers away from Katra town. He said the injured pilgrims were rushed to nearby hospitals from where critically injured were referred to the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in…

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Samina Fatima, ladakhi girl sets goal, wants to play football for country

Fatima received a football from PM at FIFA U-17 opening ceremony Samina Fatima, a Ladakhi girl from the remote Nubra area, now has a goal in her life — to become a high-quality footballer and represent the country at the international level. Fatima, who walks 3 km to reach school, believes she has gained this confidence after receiving a football from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the inaugural ceremony of FIFA U-17 World Cup at the packed Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on October 6. She is a Class…

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Congress protests against Centre, State for ‘Protecting’ Jay Shah

Congress workers under the leadership of former minister Raman Bhalla today held a demonstration against the Union Government for protecting BJP president Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah. The party also lodged its protest against portraying separatist leader Asiya Andrabi as a role model for women of the state. The protest march began from the Congress headquarters and passed through different areas before it was stopped by the police while proceeding towards City Chowk. As the demonstration was not allowed to proceed further, party workers staged a dharna and raised slogans…

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Kashmir Valley received season’s first light snowfall in upper reaches

The upper reaches of Kashmir received first light snowfall of the season, resulting in chill in the plains, including the summer capital Srinagar where people were seen wearing woollens and warm clothes on Friday. The upper reaches including Amarnath cave shrine and its periphery, Sheshnag, Mahagunas, Pisso top and Panjtarni received snowfall this evening. Light snowfall was also received at Zojila on Srinagar-Leh highway, connecting Ladakh region with Kashmir. The upper heights in Sonmarg and Baltal, base camp of Amarnath cave, also received snowfall. Kishtwar’s upper reaches including Naginsheeris also…

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