Ayub Pandith lynching: Friday prayers in Srinagar's Jamia Masjid resume for first time in six weeks since incident

Srinagar: Congregational Friday prayers were offered at historic Jamia Masjid for the first time in six weeks since police officer Mohammad Ayoub Pandith was lynched by a mob outside the mosque. However, soon after the prayers were over, a group of men started sloganeering and pelting security forces with stones, a police official said. [caption id=“attachment_3737981” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of DSP Ayub Pandith. PTI[/caption] Police used tear smoke shells and pellet guns to chase away the protestors, he said, adding three persons sustained injuries in police action. The violent protests came despite strong deployment of police and paramilitary personnel in localities around the mosque in the old city area, a police official said. Over the past six weeks, authorities have imposed restrictions on Fridays as a precautionary measure to prevent any protests after the congregational afternoon prayers attended by thousands. The weekly cycle of restrictions began a day after Pandith, a Deputy Superintendent of police in security wing, was lynched by a mob while he was performing access control duty at Jamia Masjid on 22 June. It was for the first time in recent history that Juma’atul Vida’a (the last Friday of fasting month of Ramzan) was not offered in Jamia Masjid where over one lakh devotees assemble every year on that day. Meanwhile, reports of violent clashes between protestors and security forces were received from parts of Pulwama, Shopian and Sopore town, the official said. There were no reports of any casualties in these clashes which were going on till last reports came in, he added.