Month: October 2017

Mystery ‘Braid Chopping’ cases add panic to trauma in Kashmir

Editor

A wave of brutal, deadly panic has swept Indian-administered Kashmir after more than 100 women said they were victims of attackers who chopped off their hair. Despite suggestions the cases may have been fabricated or fuelled by hysteria, the consequences have been all too real. One 70-year-old man has been killed by vigilantes since the alleged incidents started a month ago, and there are near-daily reports of groups attacking suspected so-called “braid-choppers”. Authorities have avoided confirming or denying the accounts of women from across the Himalayan region, which bears deep…

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Three attacks in 24 hours, Woman shot dead, another hurt in militant attack in Tral

Editor

Police officer’s house ransacked Gunmen kill woman, injure another in Seer village   CRPF man wounded in grenade attack on NC leader’s house Unidentified gunmen killed a woman and injured another in Seer village of Tral area in Pulwama district on Sunday, even as a CRPF man was injured when suspected militants hurled a grenade towards the residence of a National Conference leader in the township. In another attack in Tral, the house of a police officer was ransacked last night. An official said that Yasmeena, daughter of Ghulam Rasool…

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Our Sisters, Mothers not safe: Braid Vigilantes Prowl Kashmir Valley

Editor

Armed with sticks, knives and small axes, groups of men have mushroomed in the past month across Kashmir that has seen at least 100 incidents of ‘braid chopping’ – mysterious instances in which women wake up to find their braids cut off. It is around 9:30pm. A dozen young men, armed with sticks, knives and small axes have gathered at a small four-way intersection in a congested locality on the outskirts of Srinagar. The autumn night is chilly and the men light a bonfire before turning to their phones for…

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Over 40% population has no proper drinking water supply across J&K

Editor

Over 43 percent of J&K habitations have erratic or no piped water supply, making people living in these areas depend on open sources of water, often contaminated, putting their lives at risk as per Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS). In J&K, only 56.2 percent of habitations are fully covered by a water supply schemes as per 2017 J&K state profile data by Ministry of Water and Sanitation. With 15,958 habitations in J&K, the data shows that more than 7000 habitations, 43.8 of the total, have incomplete coverage by…

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Restrictions imposed in Srinagar to prevent protest against braid-chopping

Editor

Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city on Saturday to maintain law and order in the wake of a separatist-called protest shutdown against growing incidents of braid chopping. Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city on Saturday to maintain law and order in the wake of a separatist-called protest shutdown against growing incidents of braid chopping. “Restrictions have been imposed in Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj, Rainawari, Khanyar, Safa Kadal, Maisuma and Kralkhud areas,” the police said. The separatist leaders have appealed to people to hand over suspected braid choppers…

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Divide within militant camp spills into open, UJC alleges Musa part of Indian conspiracy

Editor

A deepening divide within Kashmir’s militant camp has come to surface as Pakistan-based United Jehad Council (UJC) struggles to contain the growing influence of its former commander Zakir Musa, a hardcore Islamist. The UJC, a conglomerate of several leading militant groups loyal to Pakistan, issued a damning allegation against Musa and described him as a “façade” used by Indian intelligence agencies. Musa, who has publicly vowed to fight for an Islamist cause in Kashmir and disavowed fighting for a secular state, is a former field commander of Hizbul Mujahideen. He…

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We can’t give sweeping judgment that it is mass hysteria: Nayeema Mehjoor

Editor

Had the state authorities professionally handled the alleged braid cutting incidents at the beginning in Kashmir, the mysterious phenomenon wouldn’t have touched the alarming levels, chairperson State Women’s Commission (SWC), Nayeema Mehjoor, said on Friday. “There is every possibility that a few cases of braid chopping would have been related to mental health in the beginning. Even a few cases suggest so even today. But the phenomenon has now gone out of control where criminals and other elements have joined in,” Mehjoor said. Mental health experts who are probably the…

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Vigilantism on rise as Braid-cutting leaves Police, People guessing

Editor

Woman’s braid cut in Budgam No Friday prayers allowed in Jamia Masjid for 4th week Mob tried to immolate deranged in Sopore, drown another youth in Hazratbal: Police With police failing to crack braid chopping cases, the vigilantism by youth have increased in the Valley and these are taking an ugly turn. On Friday, a mob tried to set on fire a mentally unfit youth in Sopore and attempted to drown another in Hazratbal area in Srinagar after mistaking them as braid choppers. Both were rescued by police. “Strip him,…

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JRL calls for shutdown on Saturday against increasing braid chopping incidents across Kashmir

Editor

The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) on Friday called for a complete shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow against the unabated braid-cutting incidents. Sources said that the JRL comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik called for shutdown and appealed to the freedom-loving people to observe civil curfew tomorrow. They said that the decision was taken following a meeting after Magrib (evening) prayers at the residence of Hurriyat (G) chairman in Hyderpora yesterday. “In the meeting, the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir was discussed besides the braid…

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Using Wi-Fi at Airports, Railway Stations invitation to cyber attacks

Editor

Browsing internet using public wireless computer network at railway stations and airports may leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks, government agency Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in) has warned. The nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents in India has rated the vulnerability quotient of public Wi-Fi in the country at ‘high’. “Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities allows an attacker to obtain sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, chat messages, emails etc,” CERT-in said. The Indian agency has suggested that users avoid public Wi-Fi at all costs…

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