‘Mysterious’ chopping of braids: Three cases emerge in Punjab now
Rationalist Ram Swarn Lakhewali, state president of the literature wing of Tarksheel Society, said, “There is no ‘superpower’ at play, and there is no need to panic. Awareness among the people is needed.”
After a dozen such claims in Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi wherein women claimed their braids were chopped off mysteriously, three such cases have emerged in Punjab too.
Sapna, 28, a resident of Chaunsar Basti in Bathinda, said on Thursday that she had gone to the washroom around 8.30 am where she fell unconscious “all of a sudden” and when she gained conscious one of her braids was chopped off.
Her husband, Satish, who collects rags from households for resale, said over the phone that he was not at home while their son and daughter were with Sapna in their in the rented accommodation when the purported incident took place. “A woman from the neighbourhood rushed to our home when my wife fell in the washroom and the children raised the alarm,” he said.
The family hails from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and, scared, they left for their native place and have also got her head shaved to avoid “the bad omen”. No police complaints were made.
Also, in Bharu village near Gidderbaha in Muktsar district, an 11-year-old girl’s braid was also reportedly found chopped off the same day. Her father Binder Singh said daughter Komalpreet Kaur and son Lovepreet Singh were sleeping in the same room with him, while his wife Karmjeet Kaur, daughter Sukhpreet Kaur, and two other relatives were sleeping in the courtyard. “When we woke up in the morning, we found Komalpreet in the courtyard! And her hair were cut,” he said.
Meanwhile, rationalist Ram Swarn Lakhewali, state president of the literature wing of Tarksheel Society, said, “There is no ‘superpower’ at play, and there is no need to panic. Awareness among the people is needed.”
A third case emerged in Narsingh Colony of Sangat area in Bathinda on Wednesday night. Jaspreet Kaur, 30, was sleeping with her husband in the house when she purportedly noticed that her braid was chopped off. The colony is close to the border with Haryana where already some cases have emerged. The family also reportedly heard sound of “somebody going out of house”. Cops also visited the house, though, the family hasn’t lodged any formal complaint.