Complete shutdown in occupied Kashmir today against braid-chopping incidents
October 09, 2017
SRINAGAR: A complete shutdown is being observed in occupied Kashmir today against braid chopping incidents reportedly carried out by secret Indian agencies.
The call for the strike has been given by the joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik.
The leadership, in a statement, termed the rising incidents of braid chopping as a conspiracy and reiterated that the people of Kashmir would pursue their right to self-determination more vigorously.
Braid choppers either spray some chemicals on the face of women to make them unconscious or grab them forcibly and then cut their braids, according to the Kashmir Media Service.
More than sixty such incidents have been reported from across the occupied territory during the past few weeks. At many places, people caught hold of the braid choppers; however, they were rescued by Indian police and soldiers.
On Sunday, clashes erupted after youth took to the streets against the highhandedness of Indian police in Islamabad town. The youth raised anti-India and pro-freedom slogans and marched on the streets of Reshibazar.
Meanwhile, traders of Islamabad district continued their protest for the second consecutive day on Sunday against the brutalities of the Indian police. They staged a sit-in at Lal Chowk in Islamabad town, and demanded the transfer of the Station House Officer involved in using force on traders.
Police arrested All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Chief Spokesman, Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, during a raid on his house in Srinagar. APHC Chairman Syed Ali Gilani has strongly condemned the police action.
Moreover, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, and seven other party leaders and activists were shifted to Central Jail, Srinagar, on a judicial remand. A JKLF spokesman in a statement said that the leaders were being subjected to a political vendetta.
It has also been reported that the Indian paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force has sent 21,000 rounds of newly-developed plastic bullets to Kashmir to crush anti-India protests in the territory. These plastic bullets will be used alongside live bullets and the much-criticised pellets.
