DSP Ayub Pandith lynched in Srinagar: Five arrested, 12 identified so far, says police

Three more persons allegedly involved in the mob lynching of Deputy Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ayub Pandith in Srinagar have been arrested, Jammu and Kashmir’s top cop said in Srinagar on Saturday. “We have identified 12 persons in connection with the case and five of them have been arrested,” Director General of Police SP Vaid told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_3740067” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File photo of DSP Ayub Pandith. PTI[/caption] On Friday, the DGP had said two persons were arrested, while another one was identified. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed on Saturday to expedite the probe into the lynching incident, a Jammu and Kashmir Police spokesman said. “An SIT headed by an officer of the rank of superintendent of police has been formed for speedy investigation of the lynching incident,” a police official said. He said the investigation was heading in the right direction as more arrests had been made in connection with the killing. Pandith was stripped and lynched by a mob outside the historic Jamia Masjid in Srinagar’s Nowhatta area, triggering outrage across Kashmir and drawing all-round condemnation. While two persons were arrested on Friday, three more have been picked up since. “Two of the arrested persons are those who were injured in the firing at the time of lynching,” Vaid added. Vaid said the police have resolved not to spare the people behind the act. “It is the resolve of Jammu and Kashmir Police that we are not going to spare these rascals,” he said. The DGP said the investigation in the case is on and everything would be clear once the report comes. “Let the investigation complete, then only we can say what has happened,” he said. Asked whether moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was present in Jamia Masjid when the incident took place, Vaid said, “It is a matter of investigation.” With inputs from agencies