Cop Beaten to Death Near Srinagar Masjid, Mirwaiz Says 'I Wasn't There'

Srinagar: A police officer was lynched by a mob late on Thursday after he opened fire on a group of people who caught him clicking pictures near a mosque in Nowhatta area of Srinagar.

The incident reportedly occurred while separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was offering prayers at the Jamia Masjid and was to make a speech later.

A PTI report said he was stripped naked before being stoned to death.

"Two persons have been arrested so far and a third has been identified. All of them (involved in lynching of the officer) will face the law," DGP SP Vaid told reporters on sidelines of the wreath laying ceremony of slain officer.

It was not immediately clear why the officer was clicking pictures inside the mosque.

The separatist leader, however, denied being present there at the time of the incident. “Media is misrepresenting the facts. I was not at the masjid. I came after 12."

Ayub Pandith was reportedly a resident of the area where the mosque is located.

He was laid to rest with full honours later on Friday in the presence of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Condoling the officer’s death, the CM said: “For how long will this continue? Jammu and Kashmir police are the best in the country. They show a lot of restraint in dealing with their own people. This is a shameful incident."

“People should realise that if these incidents continue, then there could come a time when policeman won’t be around to protect you," Mehbooba Mufti said.

“This is against our culture and no one can accept this," Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

The incident came as Muslims across Kashmir were observing Laylatul Qadr (the night of power) with night-long prayers and supplications being made inside the mosques and shrines of the Valley.

The authorities announced restrictions on movement of people in seven police station areas of the city as a precautionary measure.