Nowhatta lynching: Police officer Mohammed Ayub Pandith's family alleges security lapse

The family members of murdered Jammu and Kashmir police officer Mohammed Ayub Pandith has alleged lapses in his security, which led to his lynching by an angry mob on Thursday evening outside the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.

Recalling the series of events leading to Pandith's murder, the family said he went to offer his prayers - Thursday night was the auspicious Shab-e-Qadar - where some one from the crowd saw the pistol he carried.

The family claims he was then called outside by some men and asked to show his identity card. He hesitated and allegedly opened fire to disperse the mob, which led to three men getting hurt. At this, a large crowd of men started pushing and beating the police officer, leading to his death.

Pandith's family says he was entitled to two body guards as per his rank as a Deputy Superintendent of Police, but they ran away from the spot and left him to die. They claim the police established that he was one of their officers only two hourse after the incident.

Pandith's body was recovered on Friday morning from outside the Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of the old city where he was attacked.

Pandith was in plain clothes and had been at the mosque post for quite a while and many locals who regularly visited knew him, reports said.

Policemen posted in the security wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police do not wear uniform as a matter of service regulation.

"DON'T FORCE OLD TIMES TO RETURN"

Condemning the lynching of a police officer and calling it "shameful", Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the police in her state show "a lot of restraint in dealing with their own people".

"But their restraint also has a limit if people indulge in such activities. The old times will return when people used to run away from the streets on seeing a police gypsy," she said.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was leading the prayers in Srinagar's Jamia Masjid during the incident, today tweeted that he was "disturbed" by the killing.

"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," he said.

KILLING MAY HAVE BEEN PRE-PLANNED

According to reports, killing of Muhammad Ayub Pandith might have been well contemplated. Reports indicate that there was a crowd which had planned the act and they executed what they carried out.

Mob's action was not extempore and the frenzy wasn't momentary, but seems pre-planned which deliberately wanted to raise the level of frenzy during Shahadat Ali which happens today, said reports.

With inputs from Manjeet Singh Negi

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