Miscreants cut shopkeeper’s beard in Batmaloo Srinagar

Srinagar: At a time when braid chopping incidents have created a fear psychosis among female folk, the beard of a Srinagar shopkeeper was chopped off by miscreants on Tuesday morning.
The incident occurred at Batamaloo area of Srinagar city and the victim has been identified as Farooq Ahmed Bhat son of Abdul Majid, a resident of Kashi Mohalla Batamaloo.
The victim said he had opened up his shop at 6:30 in the morning. “After opening up my shop a customer who was a Kashmiri appeared there with a purpose to buy cigarettes. As I reached out for cigarettes, he caught hold my neck from backside and displayed a knife. His two associates, who were not looking Kashmiris and were talking in Hindi started abusing the assailant as he was continuously trying to spray mouth mouth and nose. I tried to hold my breath for quite some time but as soon as I inhaled the chemical, I felt unconscious,” Bhat said.
Bhat according to his father was taken to SMHS Hospital where doctors admitted that the victim has been administered some chemicals. “The miscreants looted money from his shop as well,” Abdul Majid said.
“Primafacie it seems that criminals attacked the shopkeeper with an intention to loot. We are investigating the case,” said a police official.