A police statement said that a protest was held at Hazratbal over the alleged overnight braid chopping incident in the locality. The protestors comprising of men, women and children were sloganeering against the incidents of alleged braid chopping in the Valley in general and Dargah in particular.
The police personnel without using any force persuaded the protestors to disperse and after lot of hectic efforts the protestors were dispersed and after dispersal some persons on reaching near the banks of Dal Lake caught hold of one person (name withheld) who had came to visit the Hazratbal mosque for prayers and accused him of being a braid chopper.
“The person tried hard to satisfy the people around him that he is not any braid chopper but had merely come to the shrine for prayers,” the police said, adding, “But the (people) did not listen to him and accused him of being a braid chopper. The protestors turned violent and got frenzied and in the meantime people from Dargah area in large numbers reached to the spot and started beating him ruthlessly. The “violent mob” also tried to drown him in the waters of Dal Lake just to get his confession of being a braid chopper.”
They tried to lynch him but police party reached on spot and rescued the person from being lynched, police said.
“The police party in a very professional manner rescued the person from being lynched and saved a precious life. During the rescue violent mob pelted stones on the police party, however, police with the help of some respectable citizens was able to save the innocent person from being lynched,” the police said, adding a case under relevant provisions of law has been registered and investigation taken up.