Police filed a case against the man who falsely branded his driver a braid-chopper (Representational)
A man was thrashed by locals in the Kupwara district of Jammu and Kashmir, after his employer allegedly passed him off as a braid-chopper, the police said.
Jameel Ahmad Dar worked as a tractor driver for Mohammed Sultan Lone. Mr Lone allegedly owed Rs 50,000 to Mr Dar. When Mr Dar visited his employer's house to collect his dues, the latter allegedly refused to pay him on some pretext or the other, a police spokesperson said.
According to the police, when Mr Dar refused to budge, Mr Lone started to create a scene in the village by calling Jameel Dar a braid-chopper. Mr Lone drew the attention of villagers, who attacked the tractor driver, leaving him seriously injured, the police said.
The injured Dar, who was "beaten to a pulp" according to the police spokesperson, was taken to a hospital in Baramulla for treatment. Doctors there referred him to the SKIMS hospital Soura.
"The mischievous elements use braid chopping phenomenon as a tool in their personal disputes, thus creating chaos," the police spokesperson said, adding that an FIR has been registered against Mohammed Sultan Lone. The investigation has been taken up, he said.
After several incidents of people being branded braid-choppers were reported in the valley in the recent past, the state police have said people are using it as an alibi to get out of trouble or settle personal scores.
On Thursday, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti had said that braid chopping incidents were attempts to create mass hysteria and undermine the dignity of women in the state.
With inputs from PTI