2 arrested for lynching J&K senior cop; CM Mehbooba Mufti condemns attack

Srinagar: The Kashmir valley is aghast over the brutal lynching of a police officer by a mob outside Srinagar’s Grand Mosque on Thursday night. Ironically, the gory incident took place during Lailat-ul-Qadr or Shab-e-Qadr, the night which as per Islamic belief is when the first verses of the Quran were revealed to its Prophet Muhammad.

The police officials said on Friday that two people involved in the murder have been arrested and that a third accused has been identified and he too will be arrested soon. “All involved will face law”, Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police, Shesh Paul Vaid, said.

The victim Muhammad Ayub Pandith, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was among three police officials on surveillance and ‘anti-sabotage’ duty and was reportedly clicking pictures of people emerging from the historic Jamia Masjid, with his mobile phone when a mob attacked him.

Reports said that a group of youth chanting pro-freedom slogans confronted the police officials. While two others fled, Pandith argued with the mob. As he failed to explain his presence, the mob caught him and the arguments got into blows. The police officer pulled his service revolver from the holster and fired at the people, injuring three local youth. He was then brutally beaten to death.

The police officials said that he may have opened fire as a last resort in self-defence. They also said that the youth who were injured were all shot in the legs, which showed that even under attack the officer was conscious not to shoot to kill. The officer’s service weapon is missing.

The police chief said that Pandith 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.

The police had on Thursday night said that none of its officers or men was missing and that the effort was on to ascertain the identity of the person lynched by the mob.

Rumours had spread in Srinagar that the person lynched at Nowhatta outside the Grand Mosque was not a local or Muslim as he was not circumcised. Many people also presumed him to be from one of the central intelligence agencies. Since the officer was not in uniform, he was identified only hours later when his family called his mobile phone. His juniors who were also supposed to be with him are being questioned, the police sources said.

The Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, while speaking to reporters at a wreath-laying ceremony, indicated that they were allowed by the DySP to offer prayers in the mosque.

The incident has been widely condemned in Jammu and Kashmir and beyond. Chief Minister Mufti condemned the officer’s killing and warned that police were exercising maximum restraint and that the people must understand.

“The police officer apparently thought that he would not be harmed as he was in his own area and among his own people. This (lynching) is total breach of trust,” she said.

She added that the Jammu and Kashmir police personnel were “brave people” and the force is one of the best in the country.

“They are exercising restrain because they are dealing with their own people. But it could be very hard if their patience runs out,” she warned. She further said that if the vicious elements “continued behaving like this then it is possible that the past may return in which security forces used maximum force on people,” Mufti said.

Chief Muslim cleric and key separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who was delivering sermon inside the historic place of worship when the incident took place strongly condemned the police officer’s lynching. “It is big tragedy and most unfortunate incident and I strongly condemn it. Neither Islam nor our society permits such brutal acts”.

He added, “No doubt, there is anger particularly among the youth against the police and other security forces but that doesn’t mean people will indulge in acts which goes against the basic principles of humanity.”

Mirwaiz earlier tweeted, “Deeply disturbed & condemn the brutal act at Nowhatta. Mob violence & public lynching is outside the parameters of our values & religion....We cannot allow state brutality to snatch our humanity & values.”

Former Chief Minister and working president of opposition National Conference (NC), Omar Abdullah, reacted to the incident terming it as “tragedy” and “a travesty.” He wrote on Twitter, “His death is a tragedy & the manner of his death a travesty. May the people who lynched DySP Pandith burn in hell for their sins.”

Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi while condemning the killing termed it a “new low”.

He tweeted “The brutal lynching of DySP Md Ayub Pandith marks a new low. Pained beyond words at the horrific incident”. In another tweet, he said, “Heartbreaking to see J&K being pushed back several decades because of the complete failure of the PDP/BJP Govt”.

BJP which together with regional PDP rules Jammu and Kashmir that the lynching of the officer is “heart rendering”.

Its spokesman Khalid Jehangir said, “He was killed by the same people whom he protected.” He added, “Henchmen of a few people derive sadistic pleasure by lynching and killing people just to appease their bosses sitting across the Line of Control (LoC).”

The BJP spokesman demanded that the government should reconsider the decision of providing Z- security to the Mirwaiz “whom the slain DySP was guarding.”

Hundreds of mourners attended Pandith’s funeral on Friday. His sister asked, “My brother too was a Muslim and was among those who prayed at Jamia Masjid. Does Islam permit such a brutal killing?”

The officer lived barely three kilometres away he fell to mob frenzy. His cousin and well-known lawyer Muhammad Abdullah Pandith said, “We are in a state of shock and disbelief, unable to understand what was his fault that he was killed.”

Earlier Pandith’s colleagues broke down at a wreath laying ceremony held at Srinagar's district police lines. The Chief Minister who attended the ceremony, said, "There can't be a more shameful incident than this where one policeman who is trying to perform his duty is killed brutally.”

A brief statement issued by the police here read “Another police officer sacrificed his life in line of duty. DySP Mohammed Ayub Pandith of (3) Security attacked and beaten to death by a mob at Nowhatta last night.”

On June 16, six policemen including a Station House Officer sub-inspector Feroz Ahmed Dar were killed when their vehicles was ambushed by a group of heavily armed militants belonging to Lashkar-e-taiba at Thajiwara, Acchawal area of southern Anantnag district. The police had termed it “revenge act’ as it came hours after a top LeT commander Junaid Matto was along with another militant killed during an encounter with the security forces.

The police sources said that seventeen police officers and men have laid down their lives while discharging duty across Jammu and Kashmir, so far, this year.