Kashmir: Senior cop, Ayub Pandith, beaten to death by mob outside Srinagar's Jamia Masjid

A mob in Srinagar lynched a senior police officer during the night, an official said on Friday, IANS reported. The senior police officer was stripped naked and stoned to death by the irate mob after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people, who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in downtown area in the early hours on Friday. As per an ANI tweet, the police officer was identified as Ayub Pandith:

Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of Security beaten to death by mob in J&K's Nowhatta last night pic.twitter.com/TGIfIQIsFx

— ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2017

  The senior police officer’s body was recovered on Friday morning outside the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city where he was attacked. When hundreds were busy in prayers during the holiest night of the Muslim calendar called the ‘Shab-e-Qadr’ at the largest city mosque, a group of miscreants attacked Pandith at his post. “The officer was on frisking duty at the Jamia Masjid. He was carrying out his duties as usual when the miscreants attacked him,” informed sources told IANS. “He tried to free himself and even fired in self-defence, injuring three. But the mob managed to lynch him,” the sources said. [caption id=“attachment_3737155” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Ayub Pandith. Image Courtesy/Twitter[/caption] Earlier police sources had said that Pandith was seen moving around by people near Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area at 0030 hours. He was allegedly clicking pictures of people while they were coming out of the mosque. They said people tried to catch Pandith who allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons. The irate mob then caught hold of him and stripped him naked before stoning him to death, the sources said. The mob went on a rampage targeting empty security pickets erected in the area. Police reinforcement were rushed in to restore normalcy in the area. Muslims across Kashmir are observing Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power) with night-long prayers and supplications being made inside the mosques and shrines of the valley. Pandith’s body was taken to police control room for identification and other legal procedures, they said adding the situation in old city has turned tense following the incident. Reports said Pandith’s security guards ran away after they found the mob too large to be handle. Pandith belonged to Khanyar area which is adjacent to Nowhatta where he was killed. He had been at the mosque post for quite sometime and many locals who regularly visited knew him. Policemen posted in the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation. With inputs from agencies