Shutdown in parts of valley against Awantipora teacher’s custodial death

SRINAGAR — A spontaneous shutdown was triggered in many parts of the Valley against Awantipora teacher’s custodial death.

Downtown areas and also the Maisuma area observed spontaneous shutdown against the death of the school teacher from Awantipora in police custody.

Witnesses said that the shopkeepers downed their shutters in downtown areas as the announcement was made in Jamia Masjid asking people to observe shutdown.

Similarly, shutdown was also observed in Maisuma as well.

Earlier, clashes broke out between the government forces and people in Awantipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district following the death of the teacher.

According to eye witnesses, people from nearby villages and localities marched towards the house of Rizwan Ahmad Pandit.

Youth clashed with government forces deployed in the area and resorted to stone pelting. Reports said that the forces resorted to aerial firing to disperse the protesters.

Pertinently, a private school teacher, Rizwan Ahmad Pandit son of Assaddulah Pandit, a resident of Awantipora Pulwama by profession and a Jamaat-e-Islami activist died in police custody after he was picked up for questioning by the NIA in connection with a ‘militancy related case’, a top official said.

According to the statement, Police said that in pursuance of “terror case investigation”, one suspect Rizwan Pandit was in police custody. The statement added, “The said person died in police custody. In this matter while following the procedure laid down in Section 176 of CRPC, a magisterial enquiry is underway.”

Separately, they said, police investigation has also been initiated in the jurisdictional area of incident, it said.

Meanwhile, authorities at Islamic University of Science and Technology have postponed the semester examinations.