SRINAGAR: A police officer was stoned to death Friday morning by an irate mob in Srinagar that believed he had shot at a group of people who caught him taking photographs outside Jamia Masjid.
Police identified the officer as deputy superintendent of police Mohammed Ayub Pandith. Police sources told TOI Pandith was part of Kashmiri separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq‘s security grid deployed outside the Jamia Masjid on Shab-e-Qadr.
He was on duty when the mob attacked him, a police spokesman said.
Police sources said that Pandith was seen taking pictures of people coming out of Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area around 3 am on Friday. They said that when people tried to catch Pandith and stop him from taking photos, he allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three people.
Soon after, a group of young men began to beat the police officer. That group then quickly swelled into an irate mob that stripped the officer before killing him by hitting him with stones.
“The official was killed by the mob while he was performing his duties. It’s a very sad and unfortunate incident,” Vaid said.
Soon after the incident, intense clashes erupted between police and youth outside the Jamia mosque, eyewitnesses told TOI. Police reinforcements were rushed to the area and the authorities announced restrictions on people’s movement in seven police station areas of the city.
Bureau Report
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