A Jammu and Kashmir policeman was stoned to death on Friday early morning by an irate mob at Nowhatta, Srinagar, after he allegedly opened fire at a group of people near a mosque. The policeman was later identified as DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith.
Pandith, who was in civil clothes, was seen outside the Jamia Masjid where the Shab-e-Qadr prayers were under way. At around 12:30 am, he was reportedly seen clicking pictures of the people coming out of the mosque.
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According to media reports, he failed to answer the queries of the locals, which soon turned into an heated argument, following which he allegedly fired several shots from his pistol, injuring three persons. While initial reports suggested that one youth from the mob was shot in the leg and another was shot in his stomach, latest reports say that three people were injured. They were rushed to SMHS hospital.
The infuriated crowd then caught hold of him, stripped him naked and stoned him to death. They also went on a rampage and targeted the empty security pickets erected near the mosque.
Though a police officer was quoted by Kashmir Life as saying that the man was not a policeman, he was later identified as one. It is being said that Pandith and 10 other policemen who were in plainclothes had been deployed near the grabd mosque for the security of Mirwaiz Mohammad Umar Farooq, who was leading the prayers on the Night of Power.
Meanwhile, several policemen have been deployed to restore normalcy in the area. The condition of the three injured youths is said to be stable.
Graphic images of Pandith's dead body is being circulate in the social media.
