Srinagar: Authorities after forming three teams to study braid chopping incidents in several district including Srinagar, have been left high and dry as yet again the victims are not coming out to seek help, making it difficult for experts to come out with something concrete.

As per sources, victims are still not coming out to seek counseling and other help, which is making it difficult to study these cases.

The teams formed in other district are also crying about the victims non co-operation as they are failing to come out for any medical help, “It seems to be an impossible thing to study such cases, it is difficult in Srinagar, imagine how it can be in other districts,” sources said.

District administration last week also formed a district level committee to provide medical assistance and counseling to the victims of braid cutting besides report to the higher authorities with the detailed facts about each incident in their respective jurisdictions.

“This too has not clicked as no one has reached out such victims so far,” an insider said.

The committee formed was aimed to reach out to such victims and provide them required help, which the committee has failed in doing so far.

Sources further revealed that only few patients have come out and sought counselling so far in Srinagar, which is making it even more difficult to study the menace and submit a detailed report, with severe pressure from the higher-ups in doing so.

“The report that the team may submit cannot be termed as accurate and it will not benefit authorities in any way, as it would be mere generalization,” sources said, adding that what will be the content of the report based on the observation of only few patients.

With every passing day, the mystery of braid chopping incidents is only getting complex, with some mental health experts suggesting that the only way to stop it from turning into mass hysteria is not to talk about it at all. The more it is talked about more dimensions of complexity will be added to it, they said.

Sources privy to the developments are saying that there has been a massive pressure from authorities to submit the report in this regard, which is again making it difficult for the experts on job.

“If no one turns out, the team will be submitting its report on the basis of whatever observations were available on ground.”

Earlier, mental health experts had said that the authorities, instead of waiting for the victims to come out and ask for any sort of treatment, they should start a campaign aimed at reaching out to victims of braid chopping.

Pertinently, the government order issued after the formation of different teams on Monday read: “One team with a psychiatrist each from Anantnag, Kulgam and Pulwama district hospitals and government medical college Srinagar and a medico from Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences will examine the victims in the three districts, and Shopian district as well. The team will be headed by chief medical officer of the concerned district,” while  adding that for Srinagar and Ganderbal districts, the team to be headed by the concerned CMOs-will have two psychiatrists from GMC Srinagar, apart from a forensic expert and psychologist from the GMC.

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