Mob murders Kashmir cop in heart of Srinagar
DSP beaten to death outside mosque, 2 suspects arrested
SRINAGAR: A senior police officer was stripped and beaten to death by a mob after an altercation outside Jamia Masjid in Jammu and Kashmir’s capital Srinagar on Thursday night, officials said on Friday.
The officer has been identified as a local deputy superintendent of police Mohammed Ayoub Pandith. He was working with the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir police. “Another police officer sacrificed his life in line of duty. Dy SP Mohammed Ayoub Pandith of Security attacked and beaten to death by a mob at Nowhatta last night,” the police said in a statement.
Two persons have been arrested in connection with the lynching so far and a third has been identified.
Director general of police SP Vaid told the Hindustan Times that the officer was checking the access control in the area following a congregation. “All of them (involved in lynching of the officer) will face the law,” Vaid told reporters on sidelines of the wreath laying ceremony of slain officer at district police lines here.
“When he came out after checking access control in the area, he was surrounded by some miscreants who started manhandling him and asking for his identification. Initial investigation revealed that there was an altercation and the officer fired to get away from the mob. He was, however, overpowered and killed near Bata Chowk in Now- hatta area,” he added.
Bata Chowk is in the vicinity of Jama Masjid where thousands of people had gathered for nightlong congregational prayers at the mosque in the old city late on Thursday evening. Eyewitnesses said three people were injured in the firing.
News agency Press Trust of India reported a group of people had earlier spotted the police- man taking photographs outside the mosque. When they tried to catch him, he allegedly pulled out his pistol and fired shots that injured three people, it said.
Reports said Pandith’s security guards ran away after they found the mob too large to be handled. The policeman was allegedly stripped before killing him. Locals also destroyed police pickets in the area later.
Pandith, who belonged to Nowpora area, had been posted there for quite some time and many locals who regularly visited knew him.