Kashmir cop lynching: 2 arrested, 1 identified; Mufti condemns incident

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said two people have been arrested and a third person has been identified in the incident where Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mohammed Ayub Pandith was lynched by a mob.

"Two people have been arrested so far in the incident and third one has been identified. The rest culprits will also have to face the law. According to the reports, when he was coming out of the mosque, people started raising slogans and started hitting him resulting in his death," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police S P Vaid told media here.

He added that the DSP was posted outside the mosque for the security of the people so that they could offer prayers without any hindrance.

"A few people who were standing outside the mosque lynched him. This is very unfortunate. There seems to be a sheer difference between humanity and cruelty. People need to understand what is wrong. Further investigation is underway," Vaid said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday condemned the killing of Deputy SP Mohammed Ayub Pandith and warned the mob saying that police were



exercising maximum restraint and that the people must understand.

The Chief Minister also said that the Jammu and Kashmir police was one of the best police forces in the country and that the people should respect them.

Mufti further stressed that the police were deployed to protect the lives of the locals, but if they 'continued behaving like this', then it's possible that the past may return in which security forces use maximum force on people.

Last night, Pandith was lynched to death by a violent mob in downtown Srinagar.

The deceased DSP was allegedly on surveillance and was clicking picture of people emerging from the Jamia Masjid mosque, when a mob attacked him. There were also reports that the officer was allegedly trying to film stone pelting in the area.

After the situation became out of control, the cop in his own defence opened fire through his service pistol on the mob, in which three people got injured.

The angry mob then proceeded to attack him more severely and ended up taking his life.

The police have recovered the body of deceased and are investigating the matter.