At a time when the “braid-chopping” scare has led to mass hysteria in the Kashmir valley with many innocents facing mob fury, people in Jammu preferred to go for religious rituals to come out of the fear psychosis.
Sheela Devi, 45, a native of Deoli village in Bishnah, whose braid was allegedly chopped in September, is regularly performing religious rituals to get rid of the fear. Instead of raising a hue and cry over the incident, the alleged victim has been quietly performing rituals along with her family.
Sheela Devi is not an isolated case. There are a number of such “victims” who have been performing religious rituals to get out of the “shock”. In September, Jammu had witnessed over 100 alleged incidents of braid-chopping but not a single incident of violence took place.
When braid-chopping incidents were at its peak in September, people in Jammu performed a special puja at Lord Shiva temples.
Radha Rani, 47, a resident of Old Rehari and a “victim of braid-chopping”, has come out of the shock after performing the religious rituals. Radha Rani claimed that she was making dinner in kitchen when she felt a jerk and the next moment she saw a portion of her hair fallen on the ground.
Meanwhile, the BJP has taken strong exception to attempts being made to create unrest in the Valley under the guise of protests against the alleged incidents braid-chopping. The party alleged that this was a new tool of separatists and the anti-national to vitiate peace in the Valley.
City residents perform rituals to get rid of Braid-chopping fear
