Srinagar: A mob lynched a senior police officer during the night on Thursday here, believing that he had shot at a group of people who caught him taking photos outside Jamia Masjid.
The state police on Friday tweeted to confirming the incident on Friday stating that the officer sacrificed his life in line of duty.
According to reports, the body of Deputy Superintendent of Police Ayub Pandit was recovered on Friday morning from outside the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city.
A group of miscreants attacked Pandit around 11 pm on Thursday night at his post. Hundreds were busy in prayers during the holiest night of the Muslim calendar called the ‘Shab-e-Qadr’ at the largest city mosque.
Sources said that the slain police official had tried to free himself and even fired in self-defence, injuring three but the mob managed to lynch him.
Reports said Pandit’s security guards ran away after they found the mob too large to be handle.
Pandit 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.
Soon after the incident, intense clashes erupted between police and youth outside the Jamia mosque.
Police reinforcements were rushed to the area and the authorities announced restrictions on people’s movement in seven police station areas of the city in view of the last Friday prayers before Eid.
A grim Director General of Police SP Vaid told reporters: “An officer being lynched by the very people he had gone to protect proves we have reached a stage where very little difference is left between humanity and barbarism.”
He confirmed that the people responsible for the barbaric act were Mirwaiz Umer Farooq’s men.
Vaid further said that three people have been identified for lynching the Dy SP and informed that two have them have already been arrested. “Very soon the third one and some more responsible for the killing of the police official would be arrested and made to face the law,” said Vaid.